Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has alleged that influential figures within the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari worked against Bola Tinubu's presidential ambition, claiming they attempted to secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket for former Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
Akande, who served as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, made the allegations during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered podcast published by Symfoni TV on Friday, October 23, 2026.
According to him, a powerful group within Buhari's administration opposed Tinubu's political ambitions and sought to influence the selection of the APC presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 general election.
“The cabal had a different plan. They wanted the president [Buhari] to support Ahmad Lawan. That is the fact,” Akande said.
He recalled the controversy surrounding the APC presidential primary in June 2022, when the party's then-national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, announced Lawan as the preferred consensus candidate.
The announcement faced opposition from party stakeholders who insisted that the presidential candidate should emerge through a competitive primary.
The APC subsequently conducted its presidential primary, which Tinubu won after defeating Lawan, Osinbajo, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and other aspirants.
Akande alleged that the resistance to Tinubu extended beyond the presidential nomination process, claiming the former Lagos State governor had been politically marginalised throughout Buhari's administration between 2015 and 2023.
“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.
The former presidential spokesperson claimed he personally witnessed occasions when Tinubu was treated dismissively during political meetings.
“I sat in meetings where they put Bola Ahmed Tinubu behind me,” he added.
Akande further alleged that influential figures within the administration rejected some individuals Tinubu had recommended for ministerial appointments.
He identified Dele Alake and Wale Edun among those allegedly proposed by Tinubu but not appointed at the time.
According to Akande, the decisions were intended to demonstrate that Tinubu could not dictate appointments within Buhari's government.
He also cited the controversial naira redesign policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria ahead of the 2023 presidential election as another political challenge Tinubu faced during his campaign.
However, Akande did not provide documentary evidence establishing that the policy was introduced specifically to undermine Tinubu's presidential ambition.
Despite the alleged opposition, Akande said Tinubu remained in the APC and continued organising politically rather than abandoning the party.
“He just waited. He bided his time,” he said.
The former presidential aide also addressed the opposition's preparations for the 2027 general election, urging former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to consider sacrificing his personal presidential ambition to encourage greater political cooperation.
Akande argued that opposition parties should focus on organisation, internal unity and political strategy rather than attributing all their difficulties to interference by the ruling party.
His account offers a perspective on the political disagreements that preceded Tinubu's emergence as the APC presidential candidate in 2022.
However, the allegations concerning the motives of Buhari-era officials, the rejection of ministerial nominees and the alleged deliberate marginalisation of Tinubu have not been independently established.
The specific officials accused of orchestrating the alleged opposition were not identified in the reports reviewed, and no response from them to Akande's latest remarks was available.
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