President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, extolled the virtues of the former Osun State Governor, Bisi Akande while accusing former President Olusegun Obasanjo of betrayal.
Buhari made this assertion at the public presentation of ‘‘My Participation,” the autobiography of Akande in Lagos via a statement issued by Femi Adesina, the presidential media aide.
The President said the author had retained his ‘‘inflexible integrity,” in and out of public office, never accepting or offering bribes.
Reflecting on the political history of the author, particularly his bid to seek a second term as Governor of Osun, President Buhari declared:
“It is common knowledge that Akande was the victim – along with other AD Governors – of a diabolical double-cross which ended his gubernatorial career. Only the steadfast Asiwaju Bola Tinubu escaped the electoral massacre masterminded by President Obasanjo.
”Desperately disappointed though he was, and being a good Muslim, he accepted this setback as part of the trials of life. He looked to the future of service to the country.”
”By 2003 Chief Akande had virtually sanitised governance in Osun State having cleared some of the troublemakers from his government and, although reluctant to serve a second term, he was persuaded to run again,” he said.
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.”
Regarding the book, President Buhari recommended it to students of Nigerian politics and the general public alike.
”This book is a historical document. Students will find this an invaluable source of Nigeria’s politics, notably between 1999 and 2020,” he said.
