In an insider account detailing high-stakes political maneuvering within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Laolu Akande, former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has revealed how an influential presidency cabal worked to derail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential ambitions ahead of the party’s 2022 primary convention.
Speaking during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered podcast, published by Symfoni TV, Akande recounted how powerful figures surrounding former President Muhammadu Buhari systematically sidelined and humiliated the former Lagos State governor despite his instrumental role in creating the ruling coalition and securing its national victories.
Reflecting on the internal power struggles between 2015 and 2023, Akande noted that Tinubu faced calculated exclusion from decision-making circles and public protocols.
He recalled sitting in official government meetings in Abuja where seating protocols were manipulated to place Tinubu behind lower-ranking officials, a deliberate attempt to signaling his diminished clout within Aso Rock Villa. Despite the provocations, Tinubu chose a path of deliberate patience and strategic organisation over open confrontation.
The former presidential spokesperson disclosed that the presidency’s inner circle repeatedly blocked key ministerial nominees submitted by Tinubu after Buhari’s election triumphs.
Prominent allies including Wale Edun, who now serves as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and Dele Alake, currently the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, were rejected by the cabal to send a firm message that the party chieftain would not be allowed to dictate cabinet appointments.
The internal tension reached its peak in June 2022 during preparations for the APC Presidential Primary Special Convention at Eagle Square, Abuja.
On June 6, 2022, then-APC National Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu announced former Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the party’s preferred consensus candidate during a meeting of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.
According to Akande, the cabal orchestrated this consensus attempt to bypass a competitive voting process and consolidate power within their preferred alignment.
However, the consensus strategy triggered immediate resistance from a coalition of northern APC governors, led by figures such as former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who insisted on power shifting to Southern Nigeria through a democratic ballot.
When delegates convened at Eagle Square on June 8, 2022, the political maneuvering collapsed. Tinubu scored a decisive victory with 1,271 votes, defeating a competitive field that included Ahmad Lawan, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi.
Akande observed that Tinubu’s political survival and ultimate triumph at both the June 2022 primaries and the February 2023 presidential election underscored his long-term organizational strategy and resilience in navigating entrenched opposition within his own party.
