Former spokesperson to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, has challenged assertions by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, that the late President Muhammadu Buhari would have considered it immoral for Osinbajo to contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2022 All Progressives Congress presidential primary.
Akande insisted that Buhari had, on several occasions, expressed willingness to support Osinbajo’s presidential ambition and publicly commended the former vice-president for the manner in which he campaigned for the party’s ticket.
He made the clarification in a statement issued on Saturday titled, “A Response to Mr Babachir Lawal’s Falsehoods Against Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.”
According to Akande, Buhari’s words and actions directly contradicted Lawal’s account of the former president’s position on Osinbajo’s decision to challenge Tinubu, who had played a key role in his emergence as vice-president in 2015.
“On at least four separate occasions, President Buhari personally offered to support the Vice President, telling him plainly: ‘If I don’t support you, who will I support?’” Akande said.
He recalled that Buhari also praised Osinbajo during a Federal Executive Council meeting in 2022, when campaigns for the APC presidential ticket were underway.
Akande said the former president commended Osinbajo for conducting a dignified and issue-based campaign across the country, adding that members of the council witnessed the remarks.
“He spoke in a laudatory tone. The entire Council witnessed it,” Akande said.
He further argued that Buhari’s conduct showed that the former president neither opposed Osinbajo’s ambition nor considered it inappropriate for him to seek the APC ticket.
“That is not a President who found Osinbajo’s ambition distasteful. That is a President who broached it, encouraged and applauded it.”
Lawal had argued that Buhari would have viewed Osinbajo’s decision to contest against Tinubu as a breach of loyalty, given Tinubu’s role in securing his emergence as running mate to Buhari in 2015.
However, Lawal acknowledged that he did not discuss the matter directly with Buhari. He said his position was based on his understanding of the late president’s character, actions and body language.
Akande, who said his experience in the Office of the Vice President gave him firsthand knowledge of the relationship between Buhari and Osinbajo, maintained that the allegations should be assessed against events he personally witnessed during their time in government.
He also dismissed Lawal’s separate allegations that Osinbajo’s appointments were influenced by ethnic and religious considerations, describing the claims as fabrications.
Defending the former vice-president’s record in office, Akande said Osinbajo served Buhari faithfully throughout their eight years in government.
“Prof. Osinbajo served President Buhari loyally for eight years, without blemish, with an inclusive team that reflected the best of Nigeria.
“The records are there for anyone who cares to check,” he said.
Osinbajo served as vice-president from 2015 to 2023 and contested the APC presidential ticket in 2022. Tinubu won the party’s primary and went on to win the 2023 presidential election.
