Former governor of Osun State and erstwhile Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bisi Akande, has accused the ‘Obidient’ movement of orchestrating the 2020 #EndSARS protest to sabotage the presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu.
Recall that in 2020, Nigerians trooped to the streets in major cities across the country, protesting against police brutality by the Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS) and demanding reforms within the Nigeria Police Force.
Speaking in an interview on State Affairs, a podcast anchored by a popular broadcaster and journalist, Edmund Obilo, published on Wednesday via YouTube, Akande alleged that the protest was ‘manufactured’ in America.
He said, “EndSARS was aimed and designed to be the end of Tinubu. Those behind the EndSARS knew what they were doing.
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“The Obidients were behind the EndSARS. It was manufactured from America just to stop Tinubu.
“The Obidients came from America to do EndSARS, which later became a movement.
“They could not form a party, so they joined whichever party. It was well planned and organised with a lot of money from America”.
When asked about his thoughts on the link between the Obidients movement and Peter Obi, Akande said “Maybe Obi’s party, I don’t know. Maybe Obi’s movement, I don’t know.
“But the Obidients were behind the EndSARS. It was well planned, organised with a lot of money from America.”
Responding to why Tinubu was unable to foresee the protest as an attempt to end him, the former Osun State governor added that ‘not every ambush is detected.
Akande also recounted how he convinced Tinubu to run for the 2023 presidential election despite financial constraints, revealing that Tinubu was initially hesitant to join the race.
His words: “When I met him (Tinubu), 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’.
“People called me and said, ‘Come, there is trouble. Anybody that talks to him about the presidency, he was quarrelling with them. So, I went to Lagos and met him.
Speaking further, Akande shared that he convinced Tinubu to run for the 2023 presidency by highlighting Yoruba tradition.
He said, “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 to worship.
“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.
“He was looking at me as if I was sick or something,” Akande said, adding that Tinubu later asked him, “Baba, you now say I should run. What about this, my leg?” referring to his health challenges.
Akande assured him, “Go and do it. There is still time. You will heal in six months.”
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