By: Tunji Okunlola
Laolu Akande, former spokesperson to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has dismissed allegations by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, that the late President Muhammadu Buhari questioned the ethnic composition of Osinbajo’s proposed aides.
Akande described the allegation as a “complete fabrication,” insisting that no single memorandum containing more than 20 names of proposed aides was submitted by Osinbajo and subsequently withheld by the late Abba Kyari, Buhari’s former Chief of Staff.
Lawal had alleged that Osinbajo submitted a memo containing about 28 names of proposed staff members, which Kyari allegedly withheld for approximately three months before Lawal obtained a photocopy and presented it to Buhari.
According to Lawal, Buhari reviewed the list and remarked, “BD, these are all Yorubas.”
However, Akande disputed the account in a statement issued on Saturday titled “A Response to Mr Babachir Lawal’s Falsehoods Against Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.”
“There was no such memo,” Akande said, explaining that Osinbajo had direct access to Buhari and personally submitted appointment memoranda to the president for approval.
“The procedure was simple and verifiable: Prof. Osinbajo always had direct access to the President. He took his memos directly to the President, obtained approval, and passed the approved memo to (his own Chief of Staff), Mr Ade Ipaye,” he stated.
Akande added that Ipaye, who also served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, subsequently communicated the approved appointments to the relevant government agencies.
According to him, the Office of the Vice President did not require the SGF’s intervention in the approval process, except for the subsequent issuance of appointment letters to staff members.
He also challenged Lawal’s claim that the appointments were delayed for three months, noting that he resumed work in the Office of the Vice President in June 2015 alongside several other staff members.
Akande explained that Osinbajo submitted separate memoranda at different times for various categories of staff as the office was being established and government policies evolved.
“What actually happened in 2015 is that Osinbajo took different batches of memos to the President at different times for different categories of staff as the office was being set up and as government policies evolved. That is standard practice,” he said.
He maintained that there was no single list driven by ethnic or religious considerations, rejecting the suggestion that Osinbajo favoured members of his church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, in making appointments.
Akande described the Office of the Vice President as an inclusive team comprising Nigerians from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
He cited Ade Ipaye, a Muslim and lawyer, as the most senior official in the office, adding that three of Osinbajo’s four special advisers were Muslims.
Among those he mentioned were Maryam Uwais, special adviser on social investment, and Ahmad Zakari, special adviser on infrastructure.
“This was a truly national team. It was never a church list,” Akande said.
He further criticised Lawal’s allegations, arguing that the suggestion of a religious agenda ignored the composition of the vice president’s staff.
Lawal made the claims during an interview with Symfoni TV’s Naija Unfiltered, where he also alleged that Buhari considered Osinbajo’s 2022 presidential ambition immoral and distasteful because of Osinbajo’s relationship with President Bola Tinubu.
Akande also disputed that account, maintaining that Buhari had repeatedly expressed willingness to support Osinbajo’s presidential ambition.
The conflicting accounts have brought renewed attention to the internal dynamics of the Buhari administration, particularly the relationship between the former president and his deputy, and the circumstances surrounding appointments in the Office of the Vice President.
Discover more from CLARITYNEWSNG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
