Former presidential aide Laolu Akande says Bola Tinubu endured political humiliation within the APC before becoming president, arguing that Atiku Abubakar must now put personal ambition aside if the opposition hopes to mount a serious challenge in 2027.
Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has drawn a striking comparison between President Bola Tinubu’s experience under the late Muhammadu Buhari and the opposition’s current struggle to unite, saying Atiku Abubakar should be prepared to sacrifice his presidential ambition for a common electoral goal.
Speaking on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, He claimed that Tinubu was sidelined within the All Progressives Congress (APC) between 2015 and 2023, despite his contribution to Buhari’s emergence as president.
“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,” Akande said.
He added: “I sat in meetings where they put Bola Ahmed Tinubu behind me.”
According to him, the experience did not drive Tinubu out of the ruling party. Instead, he continued organising politically and waited for an opportunity to pursue the presidency, which he secured in 2023.
“He just waited. He bided his time,” Akande said.
He also cited the controversy surrounding the naira redesign policy before the 2023 election, presenting Tinubu’s response as an example of political persistence despite internal party tensions and obstacles.
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Why Akande has singled out Atiku
Akande rejected the suggestion that the APC alone was responsible for divisions within opposition ranks. He maintained that opposition parties must develop the discipline to withstand pressure from a governing party and resolve their own internal disagreements.
He identified personal ambition and ego as major obstacles to a united opposition, placing responsibility on Atiku, the former vice president and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate.
“But to the point, I think it is ego. So, the person that ought to make the move here is Atiku,” he said.
Akande proposed that Atiku should consider stepping aside if doing so would improve the opposition’s chances of defeating Tinubu in 2027.
“Atiku is one that was supposed to say, ‘You know what? We are going to make sure that we get this guy out, and I’m going to sacrifice,’” he said.
His recommendation raises a difficult question for opposition leaders: can they persuade their supporters to accept a different candidate after years of building individual political platforms?
The lesson and its limits
Akande also recalled that Tinubu’s alleged ministerial nominees, including Dele Alake and Wale Edun, were rejected during Buhari’s administration. He interpreted the episode as evidence that Tinubu faced resistance within the APC but chose not to abandon the party.
However, the comparison has limits. Tinubu’s eventual success does not guarantee that another politician who steps aside will secure comparable influence or that supporters will transfer their allegiance to a preferred consensus candidate.
Akande’s intervention highlights the central dilemma confronting the opposition: unity may improve its electoral prospects, but achieving it requires one or more prominent figures to surrender ambitions, negotiate credible terms and persuade their followers to accept the outcome.
With the 2027 contest approaching, the question is whether Atiku and other opposition leaders will prioritise a shared electoral strategy over individual candidacies. Akande has made his recommendation clear; whether the opposition accepts it is another matter entirely.
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