Oluwatosin Enesi
Former Osun State governor and ex-Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bisi Akande, has stated that President Bola Tinubu had little knowledge of Nigerian politics before assuming office.
Speaking on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by journalist Edmund Obilo, Akande described Tinubu as a financial expert rather than a political expert.
“He is a financial expert. He is not a political expert. He is now a politician. He must have known a lot now since he became president but before he became president, he knew very little about Nigeria.
“He may know a lot about politics of America and politics of Lagos but I know he was very ignorant about politics of Nigeria. But now that he is the president, I don’t know how much he may have known.”
Akande also revealed that he played a crucial role in persuading Tinubu to run for the presidency, as the former Lagos State governor was initially reluctant due to financial constraints and personal doubts.
“When I met him, 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 recounted, adding that Tinubu insisted he had no money to fund a presidential campaign.
He further disclosed that Tinubu resisted discussions about contesting, often clashing with those who suggested the idea.
“People called me and said, ‘Come, there is trouble. Anybody that talks to him about the presidency, he was quarreling with them.’ So, I went to Lagos and met him,” he said.
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