Former Osun State governor and close political ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bisi Akande, has alleged that the #EndSARS protests were deliberately orchestrated to destroy Tinubu’s political career.
Akande made the claim during an interview on State Affairs with Edmund Obilo, published on YouTube on Wednesday.
According to Akande, Tinubu was initially reluctant to contest for the presidency due to financial constraints and personal doubts.
“When I met him, he said, ‘Baba, do you have money? If I had the kind of money people have to be president, I would rank with Dangote,’” Akande recalled.
He added that Tinubu actively resisted discussions about his candidacy, even quarrelling with those who brought up the idea.
To change Tinubu’s mind, Akande said he framed the presidency as a duty to the Yoruba people rather than a personal ambition.
His words: “I told him, ‘You are unimportant in this matter. In Yoruba tradition, when you want to worship the deity, you take the fattest animal or the biggest yam. Yoruba wants to be president, and you are the one we have now. It is to sacrifice you so that we can have a president.’”
Even after Tinubu was convinced, Akande said powerful forces sought to derail his chances, with the #EndSARS protests being one of the major attempts to discredit him.
“#EndSARS was designed to be the end of Tinubu,” Akande alleged. When asked who was behind it, he pointed fingers at the Obidient movement.
“The Obidients were behind #EndSARS. It was manufactured from America and brought in just to stop him,” he claimed.
However, Akande clarified that he was not directly referring to Peter Obi but rather a movement that, in his view, emerged from the protests and later sought political influence.
When asked if former President Muhammadu Buhari opposed Tinubu’s candidacy, Akande dismissed the speculation.
“He didn’t tell me so. I asked him many questions, including whether he instigated Osinbajo to contest against Tinubu.
“He said no and explained that, in his culture, when your mentor is interested in a position, you don’t contest with him,” Akande said.
Reflecting on Tinubu’s political journey, Akande suggested that despite his experience in Lagos and American politics, Tinubu initially lacked a deep understanding of Nigerian politics.
“He may have known a lot about the politics of Lagos and America, but he was very ignorant about the politics of Nigeria. Now that he is president, I don’t know how much he has learned,” Akande stated.
