Nigeria, Aug. 3 -- Major-General Muhammadu Buhari lost power after just about 20 months as the military head of state in the mid-1980s, but the public persona of a no-nonsense leader that he cultivated during the stint survived three decades.

He preserved the reputation of a hater of corruption and corrupt officials, which became his rallying force when he began offering himself for election to be president on the nation's return to civilian rule in 1999.

In the three election cycles from 2003 to 2011, he contested and garnered millions of votes at each round but always fell short of clinching the presidency.

But he ran again in 2015, memorably telling Nigerians that corruption was a threat to Nigeria's survival. He urged citizens to v...