Grenell, who most recently served as spokesman for Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, made the comments in an opinion article published by The Washington Times on March 19, 2015, ahead of the March 28 presidential election.
His article focused on the contest between incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Grenell, the outcome of the Nigerian election could have significant implications for Africa, particularly because Nigeria was, at the time, Africa’s most populous country and was facing a major security challenge from Boko Haram.
He argued that Western governments should pay closer attention to developments in Nigeria rather than concentrating primarily on the rise of ISIS in the Middle East.
A major part of Grenell’s argument centred on Buhari’s previous comments concerning Sharia law.
Grenell cited a statement attributed to Buhari from 2001, in which the former military ruler expressed his continued commitment to the Sharia movement and called for the agitation for its full implementation in Nigeria to continue.
The statement has been independently documented by Nigerian and international sources. A 2021 fact-check by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), citing earlier reports including an Agence France-Presse account, found that Buhari did make the statement in 2001.
Grenell interpreted the statement as raising questions about Buhari’s intentions regarding the role of Sharia in Nigeria and whether his position could have implications for the country’s political and religious balance.
“Opposition candidate General Buhari wants Sharia law throughout Nigeria. In fact, he wants it everywhere,” Grenell wrote.
He also questioned whether Buhari’s use of the word “agitation” in relation to Sharia should be interpreted as support for a broader political or religious movement.
However, Buhari had also publicly addressed the issue during the 2015 campaign.
In February 2015, while speaking at Chatham House in London, Buhari stated that Sharia was limited to matters including inheritance and marriage and said that anyone seeking to change its constitutional position would have to change the Constitution.
The issue had become particularly sensitive because Nigeria is a religiously diverse country, with large Muslim and Christian populations and a constitutional framework governing the relationship between religion and the state.
Grenell also linked the debate over Buhari’s position to the Boko Haram insurgency, which was then responsible for widespread violence in northern Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
He argued that the United States and other Western governments needed to pay closer attention to the security situation in Nigeria and the wider implications of extremist violence across the region.
Grenell further referred to reports about Boko Haram’s activities in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon and expressed concern about the group’s ideological links with international jihadist movements.
He also questioned statements Buhari had made concerning Boko Haram during the years preceding the 2015 election.
Buhari, however, had rejected accusations that he supported the extremist group. During the 2015 campaign, he repeatedly presented himself as committed to defeating Boko Haram and restoring security in the country.
The former military head of state had also previously criticised the insurgency, while political opponents and supporters continued to debate his earlier comments about the group.
Grenell’s article came at a particularly tense moment in Nigeria, with the presidential election taking place against the backdrop of the Boko Haram insurgency, economic concerns and intense political competition between Jonathan and Buhari.
He also drew comparisons between Nigeria’s security challenges and the wider struggle against extremist groups in Africa and the Middle East.
Grenell argued that the international community should pay greater attention to Nigeria because of its size, strategic importance and potential influence across the African continent.
“The Obama Administration should be doing more to ensure Africa’s most populous country doesn’t slip away,” he concluded.
The claims and interpretations contained in Grenell’s article represented his assessment of Buhari and the political situation ahead of the 2015 election.
They were also strongly contested in Nigeria, particularly his characterization of Buhari’s position on Sharia and his attempt to connect the APC candidate with the broader agenda of Islamist extremist groups.
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