Former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to then-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu was marginalised within the All Progressives Congress during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Akande claimed he personally witnessed instances in which Tinubu was sidelined at party meetings, despite his role in helping Buhari secure the APC presidential ticket in 2015.
He made the remarks on the Naija Unfiltered podcast in an interview published by Symfoni TV on Friday.“What did they not do against Bola Ahmed Tinubu? Tell me, what did they not do? Even between 2015 and 2023, the man was marginalised. I saw him with my korokoro eyes,” Akande said.
He added: “I sat in meetings where they put Bola Ahmed Tinubu behind me.”
He further alleged that some of Tinubu’s nominees for ministerial positions under Buhari were rejected, with other candidates chosen instead to limit 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.
Akande provided no further details on the nomination process or the officials he said were responsible.
According to Akande, Tinubu stayed in the party despite the alleged treatment, remaining politically active and waiting for the chance to pursue his presidential ambition.
“He just waited. He bided his time,” he said.He also pointed to the controversy over the naira redesign policy ahead of the 2023 general election as one of the political challenges Tinubu faced before succeeding Buhari.
Akande’s comments come as parties and leaders prepare for the 2027 general election, with debates continuing over party loyalty, internal power dynamics and the strength of the opposition.
The former presidential aide argued that opposition parties should be able to withstand pressure from the ruling party rather than blame all their difficulties on government interference.
“I’m not saying it’s right, but this is how they have done it. So, if you are serious as opposition, you must be able to withstand it and rise to the top by doing what has become common sense,” he said.
On the opposition’s prospects for 2027, Akande urged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to set aside personal ambition to help unite opposition forces.
He argued that Atiku should be prepared to step aside if the opposition is serious about presenting a credible challenge to the ruling APC. “I think it is ego. So, the person that ought to make the move here is Atiku,” he said.
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