Former President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly offered to support Yemi Osinbajo’s presidential ambition on four separate occasions, according to Laolu Akande, the former vice-president’s spokesperson, who has rejected claims that Buhari considered the move inappropriate.
Akande, who served as Osinbajo’s spokesperson between 2015 and 2023, described the allegation as false in a statement on Saturday. He insisted that Buhari had personally expressed willingness to support Osinbajo’s bid to become president.
The response followed comments by Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who claimed that Buhari regarded Osinbajo’s 2023 presidential ambition as “highly immoral and distasteful.”
Lawal, now associated with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), reportedly argued that Buhari would have struggled to support Osinbajo because of his longstanding relationship with Bola Tinubu, the former Lagos State governor who eventually won the 2023 presidential election.
Akande Recalls Buhari’s Support for Osinbajo
Explaining why he decided to respond, Akande said he watched the interview in which Lawal made the claims and felt compelled to speak because he had been present during discussions and decisions involving Osinbajo’s office.
According to Akande, Buhari personally offered to support Osinbajo at least four times, even asking him: “If I don’t support you, who will I support?”
He also recalled an occasion during the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign when Buhari praised Osinbajo at a Federal Executive Council meeting for running what he described as a dignified, issues-focused campaign.
Akande said the president’s remarks were made openly in front of members of the council, arguing that they contradicted the suggestion that Buhari found Osinbajo’s ambition distasteful.
“That is not a President who found Osinbajo’s ambition distasteful. That is a President who broached it, encouraged and applauded it,” Akande said.
Osinbajo contested the APC presidential primary in June 2022 but finished third with 235 votes. Tinubu emerged victorious with 1,271 votes, while former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi came second with 316 votes.
Tinubu subsequently won the 2023 presidential election, succeeding Buhari as Nigeria’s president.
