I forced Tinubu to run for president, says Akande

A former governor of Osun State, Bisi Akande, has revealed that he played a pivotal role in convincing President Bola Tinubu to contest for the presidency.

In an interview, State Affairs with Edmund Obilo, published on Wednesday via YouTube, Akande disclosed that Tinubu was initially hesitant about pursuing the position, citing financial constraints and personal doubts.

“When I met him, he said, Baba, do you have money? If I had the kind of money that people have to be president, I would rank with Dangote,’” Akande recounted that Tinubu said he had no money to be president.

According to Akande, Tinubu was reluctant to heed advice about running for president, often quarrelling with those who suggested the idea.

“People called me and said, ‘Come, there is trouble. Anybody that talks to him about the presidency, he was quarrelling with them.’ So, I went to Lagos and met him,” he said.

Akande said he approached Tinubu with a compelling argument based on Yoruba tradition.

“I told him, ‘We don’t want you to be president because of you. You are unimportant in this matter. But in Yoruba tradition, when you want to worship the deity, you take the fattest animal or the biggest yam to worship. 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, not for you to be anything,’” he said.

This unconventional appeal appeared to leave Tinubu momentarily speechless he said.

“He was looking at me as if I was sick or something,” Akande said, adding that Tinubu later asked him, “Baba, you now say I should run. What about this, my leg?” referring to his health challenges. Akande assured him, “Go and do it. There is still time. You will heal in six months.”

Reflecting on the challenges Tinubu faced on his path to the presidency, Akande mentioned the #EndSARS protests, which he claimed were orchestrated to end Tinubu’s political career.

“#EndSARS was designed to be the end of Tinubu,” he stated.

When pressed on who was behind the protests, Akande alleged, “The Obidients, were behind the endsars. It was manufactured from America and brought in just to stop him.”

“I said the Obidients, I didn’t say Obi. The Obedients came from America to do the endsars and later became a movement to form a party and they couldn’t form a party and join whichever party you know.”

Akande also touched on the relationship between Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, revealing that he played a key role in Osinbajo’s nomination as vice president.

“In 2011, Tinubu was discussing with Buhari about replacing Bakare with someone. I told Tinubu, ‘I’m going to recommend Osinbajo, and I did.”

However, Akande noted that during the presidential primaries, Osinbajo did not step down for Tinubu, despite efforts to avoid bitterness among Yoruba contenders.

When asked if former President Muhammadu Buhari opposed Tinubu’s candidacy, Akande denied this.

“He didn’t tell me so,” he said. “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 concluded by acknowledging Tinubu’s growth as a political strategist.

“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.”