Buhari wanted Osinbajo as president, ex-spokesman counters Babachir Lawal

File: Osinbajo and Buhari

A former spokesperson to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, has said the late President Muhammadu Buhari offered to support Osinbajo’s 2022 presidential ambition on at least four occasions, disputing claims that the former president considered the move immoral.

Akande said Buhari had encouraged Osinbajo’s ambition and publicly praised the manner in which he campaigned for the All Progressives Congress presidential ticket.

The statement contradicts claims by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, that Buhari would have considered it immoral and distasteful for Osinbajo to contest against President Bola Tinubu, who had recommended him for the vice-presidential position.

Lawal argued that Buhari placed a high premium on loyalty and would have been uncomfortable with Osinbajo challenging the politician who helped bring him into national politics.

However, Akande, in a statement released on Saturday titled, “A Response to Mr Babachir Lawal’s Falsehoods Against Prof. Yemi Osinbajo,” said the former president’s words and actions contradicted that account.

“On at least four separate occasions, President Buhari personally offered to support the Vice President, telling him plainly: ‘If I don’t support you, who will I support?’” Akande said.

He added that Buhari publicly commended Osinbajo during a Federal Executive Council meeting in 2022, while campaigns for the APC presidential ticket were ongoing.

According to Akande, Buhari praised the former vice-president for the dignified and issue-based manner in which he conducted his campaign across the country.

“He spoke in a laudatory tone. The entire Council witnessed it,” Akande said.

He added, “That is not a President who found Osinbajo’s ambition distasteful. That is a President who broached it, encouraged and applauded it.”

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Lawal had said Buhari would have regarded Osinbajo’s decision to challenge Tinubu as a breach of loyalty because of Tinubu’s role in securing his emergence as vice-president in 2015.

However, Lawal acknowledged that he did not discuss Buhari’s alleged reservations directly with the former president, saying his conclusion was based on Buhari’s character, actions and body language.

Akande said his experience in the Office of the Vice President gave him firsthand knowledge of the relationship between Buhari and Osinbajo.

He said the allegations against the former vice-president should be assessed against the events he witnessed while serving in the administration.

Akande also rejected Lawal’s separate claims that Osinbajo’s appointments were influenced by ethnic and religious considerations, describing them as fabrications.

The former spokesperson said Osinbajo served Buhari loyally throughout their eight years in office.

“Prof. Osinbajo served President Buhari loyally for eight years, without blemish, with an inclusive team that reflected the best of Nigeria.

“The records are there for anyone who cares to check,” he said.

Osinbajo served as vice-president from 2015 to 2023 and contested the APC presidential ticket in 2022. Tinubu won the party’s primary and subsequently won the 2023 presidential election.