Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to put aside his personal ambition and work towards uniting opposition leaders ahead of the 2027 general election, citing President Bola Tinubu’s experience in the All Progressives Congress.
Speaking on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, Akande recounted what he described as Tinubu’s marginalisation and humiliation under the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari, despite his contributions to Buhari’s emergence as president in 2015.
Akande said he personally witnessed instances in which Tinubu was sidelined during Buhari’s presidency.
“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,” he said.
“I sat in meetings where they put Bola Ahmed Tinubu behind me,” Akande added.
He said Tinubu remained in the APC despite the treatment, choosing to wait for an opportunity to pursue his presidential ambition rather than leave the party.
“He just waited. He bided his time,” Akande said.
The former presidential aide also cited the controversy surrounding the naira redesign policy ahead of the 2023 general election, arguing that Tinubu responded to political challenges by mobilising support rather than abandoning his ambition.
Akande rejected claims that the ruling APC was responsible for divisions among opposition leaders, arguing that opposition parties must be able to withstand pressure from the party in power.
“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.
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He attributed some of the opposition’s difficulties to ego and argued that Atiku should take the initiative to build a united front against Tinubu.
“But to the point, I think it is ego. So, the person that ought to make the move here is Atiku,” Akande said.
He urged the former vice president to be willing to sacrifice his personal ambition for the opposition’s collective goal.
“Atiku is one that was supposed to say, ‘You know what? We are going to make sure that we get this guy out, and I’m going to sacrifice,’” he said.
Akande argued that such a move could help opposition leaders coordinate their efforts ahead of the 2027 election.
He also recalled that despite Tinubu’s role in Buhari’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate in 2015, some people he reportedly nominated for ministerial positions were rejected.
“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, referring to current ministers Dele Alake and Wale Edun.
Akande said Tinubu did not abandon the APC despite the reported rejection of his nominees, describing his decision to remain in the party and wait for another opportunity as a form of sacrifice.
He urged opposition leaders to draw lessons from Tinubu’s experience by placing their shared political objectives above individual ambitions.
News Express Nigeria
