Bisi Akande, a prominent founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor of Osun State, has offered significant political insights regarding the relationships and events surrounding late former President Muhammadu Buhari, current President Bola Tinubu, and ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Akande disclosed that former President Buhari explicitly informed him that he never instigated Osinbajo to contest against Tinubu during the fiercely contested 2022 APC primary election.

In the lead-up to the 2022 APC primary, Osinbajo, widely perceived as a political protégé of Tinubu—having served under him as Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General in Lagos State—ultimately came in a distant third, while Tinubu emerged as the party’s flagbearer. Despite the widespread speculation and perceived mentorship, Akande, while speaking on Edmund Obilo’s podcast, 'State Affairs,' affirmed Osinbajo’s fundamental right to contest. Akande recalled his personal desire for all aspirants to be free to contest the election without bitterness, urging them to focus on issues rather than personal attacks, with the ultimate aim of seeing a Yoruba President emerge.

Akande further recounted a conversation where Buhari expressed surprise at Osinbajo’s decision to contest against his mentor, Tinubu. Buhari reportedly clarified that, in his own cultural context, one typically does not challenge a mentor for a position they are interested in, yet he wished Osinbajo well. This particular revelation from Akande presents a direct contradiction to claims made in Buhari’s biography, 'From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammad Buhari,' authored by Dr. Charles Omole. The biography reportedly states that Buhari did not support Osinbajo’s presidential ambition in 2022, citing that he never knew Osinbajo personally, only coming to know him through Tinubu.

In a separate but equally significant disclosure, Akande asserted his instrumental role in Osinbajo’s initial emergence as Vice President. He revealed that he nominated Osinbajo for the position after consulting with President Bola Tinubu in 2011. This account challenges the prevalent narrative that Tinubu personally nominated Osinbajo as the running mate to then-candidate Muhammadu Buhari. Akande recounted advising Tinubu to replace Buhari’s former running mate, Tunde Bakare, with Osinbajo, a recommendation he claims was subsequently adopted.