“Yoruba Wants a President, and You Are the One We Have” – Akande Reveals What Tinubu Told Him Before Running for Presidency

Elder statesman Pa Bisi Akande has shared details of his conversation with President Bola Tinubu in the lead-up to the 2023 election, revealing the president’s initial reluctance to contest.

In an interview with journalist Edmund Obilo, Akande disclosed that while Tinubu was a skilled political strategist, he lacked deep knowledge of Nigeria’s broader political landscape before assuming office. “He 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,” Akande said.

Contrary to the belief that Tinubu had long harbored ambitions of becoming president, Akande revealed that he played a key role in persuading him to run. He recounted how Tinubu was initially hesitant, citing financial constraints and self-doubt. “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,’” Akande recalled.

He explained that Tinubu’s reluctance frustrated his supporters, who sought Akande’s intervention. When he met Tinubu in Lagos, he framed the presidency as a collective Yoruba aspiration rather than a personal ambition. “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,’” Akande said.

According to Akande, Tinubu was surprised by this argument and initially looked at him as if he were unwell. However, the former Lagos governor also raised concerns about his health, specifically his leg problems caused by arthritis. “He later asked me, ‘Baba, you now say I should run. What about this, my leg?’ And I assured him to go and treat it, that it would heal in six months,” Akande recounted.