Lagos – Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has alleged that President Bola Tinubu was repeatedly humiliated and sidelined within the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he personally witnessed the treatment.
Akande, who served as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, made the claims in an interview on the Naija Unfiltered podcast published by Symfoni TV on Friday.
Akande stated that Tinubu endured the alleged mistreatment despite his significant contributions to Buhari’s emergence as the APC presidential candidate in 2015. He claimed powerful forces within the Presidential Villa routinely worked to undermine Tinubu’s influence during key party decisions.
According to Akande, some of Tinubu’s nominees for ministerial positions were rejected in favour of others as a deliberate move to curb his influence. “Alake was nominated; Edun was nominated. They went to choose the ones that he did not nominate to just make a point that you can’t dictate for us,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Akande said Tinubu remained in the APC and continued to organise politically rather than abandon the party. “He just waited. He bided his time,” Akande noted. He also referenced the controversy over the naira redesign policy ahead of the 2023 general election as one of the political obstacles Tinubu faced before succeeding Buhari.
In the same interview, Akande urged opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to make personal sacrifices to forge greater unity ahead of the 2027 elections. He argued that Tinubu’s patience and resilience under Buhari offered lessons for the opposition.
Akande’s comments come amid ongoing political discussions about the APC’s internal dynamics during the Buhari years and the current administration’s performance. The former aide has previously commented on various aspects of Tinubu’s presidency, including governance and personnel issues.
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