Pa Bisi Akande, a respected elder statesman, has shared details about his conversation with President Bola Tinubu in the period leading up to the 2023 presidential election.
In an interview with media personality Edmund Obilo, Akande revealed his role in persuading Tinubu to contest the election, despite the president’s initial reluctance.
In his words; “He (Tinubu) may have known a lot about the politics of Lagos and America, but he was very ignorant about the politics of Nigeria. Now that he is president, I don’t know how much he has learned”, he stated.
Contrary to widespread opinion that Tinubu’s lifelong ambition was to rule the country, Akande said he played a major role in getting him to contest.
The elder statesman said the president was initially not excited about the project and often quarrelled with those who suggested the idea.
According to him, “When I met him, he cited financial constraints and personal doubts. He said, Baba, do you have money? If I had the kind of money that people have to be president, I would rank with Dangote”.
He said Tinubu’s attitude troubled the sponsors who pleaded for his intervention before he convinced him about the bigger picture.
“They said there was trouble that he (Tinubu) was fighting anybody who tried to convince him about the presidency and so I went to Lagos and met him.
“I told him, ‘We don’t want you to be president because of you. You are unimportant in this matter.
“But in Yoruba tradition, when you want to worship the deity, you take the fattest animal or the biggest yam. Yoruba wants to be president, and you are the one we have now. It is to sacrifice you so that we can have a president, not for you to be anything”, he stated.
Akande said his comment jolted Tinubu who looked at him like a sick fellow.
He said Tinubu however complained about his leg (arthritis).
“He later asked me that Baba, you now say I should run. What about this, my leg and I assured him to go and treat it that it will heal in six months.”
