Former President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerian political leaders to emulate his example of not accumulating wealth, adding he left office with the same assets he had before becoming president.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, released on Wednesday, Mr Buhari made this call when he hosted some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

“Mr Buhari has advised the members of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, to adopt a citizen-centric approach, saying that leadership presents both a challenge and opportunity and that balancing the two would significantly advance national progress,” the statement said.

Mr Buhari also said leaders should accord importance to the welfare of the people, not themselves, “offering his personal example of leaving office with the same physical assets he had before his presidency.”

In 2023, according to his post-presidency assets report, Mr Buhari made a similar claim that his personal wealth stagnated for the eight years he was in power. 

The former president declared his assets upon assuming office in May 2015 and did not publish the asset documents.

Instead, he only asked Mr Shehu to release a statement claiming the president’s assets before becoming president, which included N30 million in cash and a house each in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and his home town of Daura.

He also said he had undeveloped lands in Port Harcourt and Kano, saying he was no longer sure of the location of the Port Harcourt land.

His disclosures raised suspicion from Nigerians, with the media and civic groups mounting pressure on him to publish his asset declaration documents to allow an independent corroboration of his claim.

The suspicion was driven largely by Mr Buhari’s previous claim that he had no property in Abuja, saying during public appearances in years prior that he was renting accommodation whenever he had to be in the Nigerian capital.