On Thursday 9th December, 2021, the prestigious Eko Hotels and Suites hosted a book launch titled “My Participations”. It was written by Chief Bisi Akande, the former interim chairman of the ruling party in Nigeria, the All People’s Congress party APC. Expectedly the presentation of the book paraded party big wigs led by President Muhammadu Buhari, Lagos and Ogun state governors Babatunde Sanwoolu and Dapo Abiodun, the senate president and the speaker of the house of representatives, Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila respectively including the national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu graced the occasion.

A Lagos-based media and publishing company, Gaskia Media Ltd, is the publisher of the 560-page book. The book is Akande’s ninth book and since it was launched, it has turned out in recent times, to be one of the most controversial books going by the responses and reactions it has generated. Akande a former governor of Osun state and the former chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, one of the legacy parties that fused together to become APC, tried effusively and explicitly to narrate comprehensively his colourful and impactful political career.

Akande’s narrations of the event has become savoury and unsavoury to some key political actors going by startling revelations.

Who is Chief Bisi Akande?

Chief Adebisi Akande was born in Ila Orangun on 16 January 1939 in Osun state. A conservative public administrator, established politician and an “Awoist” (a disciple of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo). He was a teacher, an associate member of chartered institute of secretaries, fellow chartered institute of cost and management accountants and worked with notable organisations such as British Petroleum from 1963 to 1979 before taking a leave of absence to serve in late Chief Bola Ige’s government of old Oyo state from 1979 to 1983. He was first appointed the secretary to the state government, but later replaced late Chief S M Afolabi as the deputy governor in 1982 when the latter fell out with Ige in a protracted political struggle.

After the military take over in 1983, Akande was arrested along with Ige and other politicians, jailed for 42 years by the military tribunal set up by Major General Muhammadu Buhari for ‘conspiracy to unlawfully enrich his party” Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN. He was released in 1986 by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida that succeeded Buhari’s government.

In the fourth republic that ushered in democracy in 1999, Chief Akande who was the chairman of Afenifere in Osun state, a socio political south west group, with other notable Yoruba political leaders, co-founded the Alliance for Democracy AD, a political party he used to contest and became the governor of Osun state from 1999 to 2003. His tenure as governor witnessed unprecedented infrastructure development laying a solid foundation for the young agrarian state.

Akande’s former boss, Chief Bola Ige also sought the nomination of AD as the presidential candidate but in a rare political shenanigan was denied. Chief Olu Falae was voted to contest against the People’s Democratic Party PDP presidential candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. Ige who was the deputy chairman of Afenifere and a strong member of AD felt betrayed and slighted to have lost to a less colourless Falae.

Olu Falae lost to Obasanjo in the 1999 presidential election, Obasanjo invited Bola Ige to serve as a federal minister. Ige abandoned his party to serve in opposition government. This action created a wide gulf in the party that led to the creation of a faction in AD and Afenifere. Akande and the then governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu belonged to the faction of Bola Ige.

As governor of Osun state, Akande re-enacted the cardinal policy of free education and free medical of the old Awolowo’s UPN and improved water supplies. His four years was dogged with struggles with Osun state civil service following his unpopular policy of trimming down with massive layoffs in public service.

Akande had a long running political battle with his deputy, Iyiola Omisore (a prominent son of Ile Ife) that distracted his government, it also led to a face off with Ooni of Ife Oba Okunade over the dissolution of Council of Obas and Chiefs in 2001. This prolonged face off polarised the party and the state that made Omisore to decamp to the opposition party PDP.

On 24 December 2001, Akande’s main supporter and his former boss, Bola Ige, the then minister of justice, was murdered in his house in Ibadan. The murder of Ige was linked to the feud between Akande and the deputy governor, Iyiola Omisore. The murder followed another murder the previous week of Osun State legislator Odunayo Olagbaju, who was bludgeoned to death outside his home. Olagbaju was a supporter of Omisore. Akande ran for re-election in 2003, but was defeated by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola of (PDP).

In September 2006, the Akande’s faction formed a party Action Congress of Nigeria. In February 2013 the party announced plans to merge with other parties: Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2015, Buhari won Presidential election on the platform of APC. Akande as the interim chairman of APC was active in the emergence of Buhari and also his re-election in 2019.

Akande’s book of controversy

Autobiographies are meant to give accurate records of events, to set the record straight, shed more lights to knotty questions and to enrich political discourse in Nigeria. Unfortunately, Akande’s autobiography revealed himself as a politician has created more controversies rather than helping to solve solutions to political mysteries. It seems Akande’s objectives of writing this book “My Participations” are to settle old scores with his political enemies and to beautify his friends.

Let us examine some of the contentious areas he deliberately falsified events to suit his narratives and to befuddle his readers and admirers.

1. On Olusegun Obasanjo

On Olusegun Obasanjo, he wrote: “I knew him to be a faithless suitor and an unblinking philanderer on the political field. You trust him at your own peril.”

“I was therefore surprised that after I had been rigged out in 2003, Obasanjo would not relent in his effort to bring me closer to himself. Many of those close to the president were bringing messages to me that Obasanjo would want me to serve in his government.

He said there was no way he could agree to serve in any government headed by Obasanjo and that he had no intention of putting himself in danger by aligning with Obasanjo for whatever reason.

“I have heard of the story of Ken Saro Wiwa, the novelist who was the leader of the Ogoni people of Rivers State, refused to serve under Sani Abacha and that was why he was eventually killed along with eight of his compatriots. I didn’t want Obasanjo to ask me.

“If he asked me personally and I refused, he might feel deflated and he might not allow me to return home alive, so I quickly called my ADC and asked him if I had any ticket for Lagos-London flight. He said ‘Yes’, I asked him to book and confirm a seat for me immediately. I drove to the airport to quickly board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London without waiting for another from Chief Babalola.

“I got to London in the evening. On May 30, 2003, Segun Osoba phoned to chide that ‘Eiye o so fun Eiye pe oko nbo!’ (That I escaped without confiding in anybody). I didn’t want anyone else to reach me in London, Therefore, I quickly moved to a resort in the Black Sea and I arranged for my wife and daughter to join me,” he added.

Akande’s account is far from the truth with what he wrote about Olusegun Obasanjo. Apart from Bola Ige who was assassinated, other top politicians like ex-chairmen of All Nigeria’s Peoples’ Party APP Mahmud Waziri and Akande’s AD Ahmed Abdulkadir respectively served in his government and they did not lose their lives. Akande should have been more forthcoming with the real reasons why he lost his re-election. How on earth did he think he could have won when he retrenched bulk of the civil servants in Osun state. In fact, lives of many families where both husbands and wives lost their jobs were distorted and it took while for some families to recover.

In addition, how did he think he would have won his re-election with a deeply fractionalised party resulting from the protracted battle he had with his erstwhile deputy, Iyiola Omisore? He should have been more realistic and forthcoming in blaming himself rather than blaming Obasanjo.

2. On Iyiola Omisore

Chief Bisi Akande had no good words for him: “Iyiola Omisore crept into my life like a silent malignant cancer. He came in full force. In a few months, I thought I knew him. I regret I did not know him in his true colours,”. He accused him of corruption, withdrawing party funds from one Sola Akinwunmi using his name without his authority.

“He would go to the party secretariat and use my name to collect money, sometimes, N100,000. On one occasion, Ayo Opadokun lost his father in Offa, Kwara State and we thought we should honour him. I said I would visit him. I funded a gift from my own pocket for my visit to Opadokun in Offa.

” Then, one Omisore’s messenger came and met me with Opadokun. He whispered to me that his boss sent him to give money to Opadokun and also give him N50,000 on my behalf. I told the emissary not to worry about mine because I had already seen Opadokun. It was later I learnt that Omisore took money on my purported authority from the party secretariat for the simple act of condolence,” he stated.

This one-sided revelation of events is expected from Akande who likes to blame others for his political misfortunes. He did not reveal the secret political agreement he had with Omisore for promising to relinquish power to him after 4 years in office. He failed to disclose that Omisore financed his campaigns and the election based on this agreement.

3. On Afenifere leaders: Ayo Adebanjo, Olu Falae, Olanihun Ajayi

“I was not surprised that three old men who were virulently opposed to our aspirations in the APC found their ways into the Jonathan Conference. These men: Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Olu Falae were once our leaders in the old Afenifere until the passage of Papa Adesanya.

“They could not find any younger Yoruba to send to the conference to represent our interest. They believed, even in their old age, that they were the only people who could have gone there. Sir Ajayi, who was close to 90 at the time of the Conference, has since joined his ancestors. Chief Adebanjo celebrated his 90th birthday in 2018. Chief Falae is in his 80s. Note that Jonathan paid the conference delegates generous allowances!”

“The old Afenifere and PDP coalition was fronted by these three men and General Obasanjo. Chief Adebanjo, the most vociferous of them, is a blank politically-minded leader who recognises readily and always that he never has what it takes to aspire for high political positions.

Continuing, Akande alleged that Adebanjo coerced Tinubu to build a house for him in the Lekki area of the state.

“One day, Sir Olaniwun was launching a book at Muson Centre, Lagos. After the book presentation, Tinubu said I should not go and that he would like to see me. We met in a small room where he also invited Sir Olaniwun Ajayi. ‘Papa, you can see that this document is old, Tinubu said as he handed over a big envelope to Ajayi. This is your C of O (Certificate of Occupancy)!’

“Tinubu told me later that after he presented Adebanjo’s C of O to him, Adebanjo was always pestering Tinubu until he helped built a house on the plot. The street was also named in honour of Adebanjo and he is living in that house now at Lekki Phase One,”

It is worrisome Akande’s choice of words in describing his former colleagues is full of deep-seated animosity, bile and anger. He lumped Obasanjo’s name in the mix, who had never been associated with Afenifere to suit his jaundiced position. He went against the Yoruba norm that one does not speak ill of the dead with the way he thoroughly lambasted late Olaniwun Ajayi. Akande has not gotten over the disintegration of Afenifere and the eventual loss of his governorship re-election in Osun state, so he must blame others behaving like a drowning man that must pull everybody down with him.

I wonder what Akande wanted to achieve in bringing back old rivalries. Are there lessons to learn or he just wanted to prove that he’s far better than his colleagues. Unfortunately, Akande has successfully exposed himself and his colleagues as pretentious and fake “Awoists” that joined politics not for the overall interests of the people they represent but to pursue self-interests and personal enrichments.

4. On Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Guided by stomach infrastructure, he painted former governor of Lagos State and the national leader of APC, Bola Tinubu an “angel” and in very pretty light. Akande is a political soul mate of Tinubu transiting from AD, ACN and presently APC. He owes Tinubu’s benevolence for his relevance in Nigeria and the ruling government of APC. Curiously Akande and Tinubu belonged to Bola Ige’s factional AD and both have managed to re-invent themselves into national consciousness.

Akande’s twist of events that led to the emergence of Professor Yemi Osinbajo as the running mate to President Buhari leaves a sour taste in the mouth . Both Rauf Aregbesola and senator Ibikunle Amosun that played crucial roles would have been shocked with the distorted version of Akande. Aregbesola was conspicuously absent at the presentation of the book.

Tinubu has not left anyone in doubt that he wants to contest the 2023 presidential elections so one can understand why Akande is doing image laundering for his political soul mate.

This contrast is suspect. He has more glowing tribute for Tinubu.

“Tinubu is a man of exceptional quick reflexes who had interpretations for different and alternating moods of others around him with instinctive striving and sensitive hormones”.

“For others in his positive antenna, he admires, protects and defends with passion. Bola Tinubu is blindly generous and dangerously humorous. In his generosity, he relishes most political associates, and others with absolute optimism and invariably, in most cases, he indiscriminately accommodated many of them to his utter detriment.

“In his humour, he is commonly characterizing and vocalizing the mannerisms of his victims in ridiculous epithets. All along, we argued too constantly and quarrelled a lot too often on issues of political discretions.

“However, despite my constant talking down impudently on him with pontification about my old-time political experiences, he has refused to give up on me. He always makes me feel resolutely pampered. And we came, at last, to trust each other absolutely,” he added.

5. On President Buhari

“We know you love the country, but we want Nigeria to be peaceful, to prosper. We abuse you for everything that is wrong with the country. We accuse you of all that is wrong, even though we are not honest ourselves… we know we are fraudulent, cheaters, we know we are deceitful: we know we are doing wrong, we still blame you for it. I don’t sympathise with you because you applied for the job”

It is pure mischief that Baba Akande can easily paint Buhari an image of a venerable leader governing over a degenerate nation. This is hypocrisy and sycophancy taken too far.

Haba!!!

If for any reason, Akande that painted himself as a conservative and frugal man should be able to speak truth to power that Nigerians have been suffering from security issues, deprivation, suppressed by hunger, hopelessness under Buhari’s government. As a result of Buhari’s misrule, Nigerians deserve compassion and respect from Akande. Given his advanced age, he should not have exercised fear to say the truth without fear or favour but in contrast, he spoke tongue in cheek to patronise the President. He should have spoken about lives that have been lost through kidnapping, banditry, insurgency and total helplessness of the citizenry. He should have told him how many Nigerians are going to bed hungry and Nigeria is presently the poverty capital of the world.

He should have berated him for always at every given opportunity, rushing off to the United Kingdom to see his doctors and not showing willingness to improve or patronise our parlous health services at home. He should have told him about the numbers of children that are out of school and his homestead has become a theatre of the absurd, anarchy reigns due to the precarious security challenges in the north.

In response, Buhari who jailed Akande some years ago for corruptly enriching himself said the author has retained his “inflexible integrity” in and out of public office, never accepting or offering bribes. Quoting a famous Hausa saying, ”Labarin zucciya a tambayi fuska” (loosely translated -if you want to know what is in a man’s heart watch his face), President Buhari affirmed that Akande has a permanent smile on his face, saying: “He is the type I will go into the jungle with.”

Buhari’s statement is a disservice to his fight against corruption, a ruse to hoodwink gullible Nigerians. If Buhari can reduce corruption to an act of refusing or accepting bribes, then he should be reminded that it is more than that. What about himself finding comfort among many politicians that brought him to power with ill-gotten wealth, his garb of integrity has been torn to shreds. It speaks volume of his hollowness and insincerity.

It is really sad that young Nigerians that have been looking for role models have been repeatedly denied with the likes of Akande that has wilfully blown away every opportunity given to them to serve Nigeria. Our political leaders are more interested in filthy lucre to satisfy their pecuniary gains. Stories of Tinubu building homes for Ayo Adebanjo in Lekki and also, Akande suddenly becoming rich overnight without any visible business interests, owning a palatial house in his home town Ila Orangun, Ibadan and the United Kingdom has exposed our vacuous and empty political leaders’ quest for material gains.

I believe Baba Akande has created more enemies for Tinubu with the deliberate falsification of political events. He has opened more flanks for Tinubu’s political foes to attack him now that everything is in the public domain. It is left to be seen if this puerile white washing of Tinubu by Akande will enhance or destroy the former’s ambition.

The objective of Chief Bisi Akande in writing this controversial book is to paint his political friends “good” and his enemies “bad”. Baba Akande who is 82 years ought to be reconciling with his conscience and his creator but has lost a golden opportunity to redeem himself from the obvious failings of a government he promoted and also an active participant.

History will not forgive him.
https://olumuyiwa.com.ng/2021/12/18/chief-bisi-akandes-my-participation-is-meant-paint-his-political-friends-good-his-enemies-bad/

Ok Baba Akande.......

Obviously

The guy as* licked buhari’s butt too much