Bisi Akande Opens Up, On Two Things Nigerians Should Expect From Tinubu

Ilesanmi AdekanbiJune 16, 2023

2 minutes read

The former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, has expressed confidence in the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, saying that he will rejig the party and deliver good governance to Nigerians.

Akande, who is an elder statesman and a close ally of Tinubu, made this remark on Thursday after a meeting with the president at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja. He said he was impressed by the performance of Tinubu in his first few days in office and the positive perception of the country.

He said: “People will expect the rejigging of our party, the APC, and the re-establishment of good governance in Nigeria. And it should go on record that the APC brings good governance to Nigeria. I am very happy with what President Tinubu is doing and how he is doing it. He has hit the ground running and started implementing some of the policies and programs that we promised during our campaign. He has also shown great leadership and statesmanship in handling the security challenges and other issues facing the country.”

Akande also said he had a cordial and fruitful discussion with Tinubu on various national matters. He said they joked, chatted and prayed for Nigeria.

He said: “I came to say hello to him and congratulate him on his inauguration. We had a very good conversation on various issues affecting our party and our country.

“We also joked, chatted and prayed for Nigeria. I am a village man from Osun State. Now that the president is in the city, I think I should come and see the way he lives. When I got to his house, they said he is in the office and I decided to come and say hello to him.

“I see that he can be very busy. I asked him, when will they create a Camp David in Nigeria where President will go to rest. He laughed and said soon.”

NEC Announces Cost of Living and Petrol Allowances for Workers Amid Petrol Subsidy Removal

Akande is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of the APC and a mentor to many politicians in Nigeria. He was born on January 16, 1939 in Ila-Orangun, Osun State. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Cost and Management Accountants (FCMA) and a politician who served as Governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003. He also served as Secretary to the Government and Deputy Governor of Oyo State in 1982.

He played a key role in the formation of the APC in 2013 by merging his party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), with other opposition parties. He was instrumental in securing Tinubu’s victory in 2023 presidential election as his campaign manager.

Tinubu is Nigeria’s 16th president and a former governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007. He was born on March 29, 1952 in Lagos. He studied accounting at Chicago State University in the United States before returning to Nigeria in 1983. He worked as an accountant for Mobil Oil Nigeria before venturing into politics.

He was elected as a senator for Lagos West in 1992 under the banner of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He became an activist for democracy after Gen. Sani Abacha dissolved the Senate in 1993 and seized power. He was one of the founding members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a group that campaigned for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

He won the presidential election held on May 23, 2023 by defeating Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with 55% of the votes cast. He was sworn in as president on May 29, 2023 at the Eagle Square in Abuja.