Obidients Were Behind EndSARS, Targeted Tinubu’s Ambition – Akande

Chief Bisi Akande, a senior APC stalwart and close ally of President Bola Tinubu, has claimed that the #EndSARS protests of 2020 were orchestrated to derail Tinubu’s political ambitions. In an interview with media personality Edmund Obilo, Akande alleged that the movement was driven by Obidients—supporters of Labour Party’s Peter Obi—and was designed to put an end to Tinubu’s career.

According to Akande, the protests, which initially focused on ending police brutality, had deeper political motives. He asserted that the movement originated in the United States and was intended to evolve into a political party, though this did not materialize. He clarified that while Obidients were behind the protests, Peter Obi himself was not directly involved.

The #EndSARS movement began as a campaign against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit accused of extrajudicial killings and extortion. Although the protests successfully led to the disbandment of SARS, they were met with a violent crackdown, resulting in the deaths of several demonstrators.

Akande further noted that the Obidient movement played a key role in Tinubu’s defeat in Lagos during the last presidential election, marking a historic political upset.