ABUJA — Laolu Akande, former media spokesperson to former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Saturday morning, October 17, 2026, issued a detailed rebuttal dismissing recent claims by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, describing them as “pure fiction” born out of lingering bitterness over his dismissal.
Akande was reacting to a broadcast interview on Symfoni TV where Lawal alleged that former President Muhammadu Buhari questioned Osinbajo over an alleged religiously biased, church-dominated appointment list and considered Osinbajo’s 2022 presidential bid “immoral.”
In his official response, Akande refuted the claims, revealing that former President Buhari actually encouraged Osinbajo’s presidential ambition on at least four separate occasions.
“On at least four separate occasions, President Buhari personally offered to support the Vice President, telling him plainly: ‘If I don’t support you, who will I support?'” Akande revealed. “Ordinarily, such fabrications would not deserve a response, but I was in the room where many of these decisions were taken. To those of us who were there, this story is pure fiction.”
Akande added that Osinbajo’s team reflected national balance, noting that key figures—including Deputy Chief of Staff Ade Ipaye and Special Advisers Maryam Uwais and Ahmad Zakari—were Muslims.
“Personal grievance from removal as SGF cannot justify the manufacture of falsehoods against a man who served with integrity,” Akande added, challenging commentators to verify official government administrative records.
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