Laolu Akande, former spokesperson to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has claimed that late former President Muhammadu Buhari supported Osinbajo’s ambition to become the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in 2022.
Akande made the claim while responding to comments by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who suggested that Buhari would have considered Osinbajo’s decision to contest against Bola Tinubu as immoral and distasteful.
Lawal had argued that Buhari valued loyalty and would have been uncomfortable with Osinbajo challenging Tinubu, who played a major role in bringing him into national politics and recommended him as his running mate in 2015.
However, Akande strongly disputed the claim, insisting that Buhari’s words and actions showed that he was willing to support Osinbajo’s presidential ambition.
In a statement titled “A Response to Mr Babachir Lawal’s Falsehoods Against Prof. Yemi Osinbajo,” Akande claimed that Buhari personally offered his support to Osinbajo on at least four different occasions.
According to him, Buhari asked Osinbajo, “If I don’t support you, who will I support?”
Akande further stated that Buhari publicly praised Osinbajo during a Federal Executive Council meeting in 2022, at a time when the former vice-president was campaigning for the APC presidential ticket.
The latest claim has therefore reignited discussions about Buhari’s position on the 2022 APC presidential contest and whether he supported Osinbajo’s ambition to succeed him.
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