Bisi Akande’s Convenient Truths

POLITICAL NOTES

A former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, on Thursday, publicly presented his autobiography titled: ‘My Participations’. In the book, the former Protem National Chairman of the ruling APC, tried to capture his involvement in some political developments, especially, since 1999, when the country returned to civil rule. He also gave his account of some of the intrigues that shaped the 2015 elections.

But it would turn out these were some tales merely told to suit certain narratives, particularly, the manner he trashed certain prominent Yoruba leaders like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Olu Falae, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Olaniwun Ajayi. It wasn’t just the obnoxious language deployed to describe these other Yoruba leaders, but how Akande also painted a former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, in very pretty light. The contrast is suspect.

On Obasanjo, he said: “I knew him to be a faithless suitor and an unblinking philanderer on the political field. You trust him at your own peril.” And his snide remarks on the trio of Adebanjo, Ajayi and Falae, were absolutely needless, alleging that they could not find any younger Yoruba to send to the 2014 national conference to represent the interest of the ethnic group.

He described Adebanjo as a blank politically-minded leader, who recognises readily and always that he never has what it takes to aspire for high political positions. “He constantly harbours lumps of yellow hate-bile in his heart for any co-political leader with brighter chances for any major public office within or outside his political party,” he posited.

Unfortunately, he decided to tell a particular story, for which many people obviously would have their own versions. Importantly, Chief Akande has told this very version from the direction “his stomach faces”. Painting Tinubu as an angel and demonising other Yoruba leaders, is in itself ‘end of discussion’. After all, would Akande have said otherwise of Tinubu? The answer is no! How about the why? Not far-fetched either.

There’s no need dwelling on his deliberate distortion of facts about how Professor Yemi Osinbajo emerged President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate. That too would be situated someday and in apt context by other actors. You can’t but wonder how Minister Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, would have been shocked to their marrow and gnashed their teeth, watching a man ‘they’d gladly call father’ stand truth on its head. It’s just sad that such convenient truths came from Chief Akande. Nonetheless, congratulations to him on his new book.