9th September, 2023
By Nelson Ekujumi
One’s attention was drawn by some Nigerians to presidential spokesman to former vice president His Excellency Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Mr. Olaolu Akande appearance on a national TV programme on Friday 8th September 2023.
One was moved to watch the interview because of the disappointment and anger expressed by some concerned Nigerians over comments made by Mr Laolu Akande on two major issues, the PEPT judgement and PBAT 100 days in office scorecard. His submissions according to them was far from reality of facts, logic and law and least expected in view of his supposed knowledge of the provisions of law than the hatchet job that he came to execute.
One couldn’t express an opinion on the matter because one had not watched it, but had to appeal to the concerned Nigerians that immediately one watched it, one would be better informed and able to respond appropriately to Mr Olaolu submissions.
Luckily, the interview was uploaded and one watched it on YouTube early Saturday morning. The submissions of Mr. Laolu Akande to say the least was more of a person who displayed crass ignorance or was it puremischief on a matter in which the judiciary displayed courage, industry and intellectualism in dismissing all the grounds of the petitioners as vague, generic, unspecific, nebulous and lacking in merit.
The judgement of the PEPT was very clear and sound in English language that the elections were conducted in substantial compliance with the provisions of the electoral Act. Yet Mr Olaolu came on a national TV programme to lampoon INEC in his words, for damaging public trust.
Even as a layman, it is common knowledge and incontrovertible that laws are made in public trust for public good. INEC as a body is established by law and that law, gives it authority to conduct elections in substantial compliance with the provisions of the electoral Act which is a codified law, extracted from the constitution and promulgated to guide the conduct of elections by the national assembly.
If INEC in the exercise of that function, asserts that it has complied, with a declaration on the election outcome and a dissatisfied party to the election, alleged that INEC did not fulfil that responsibility and approached the court, and the court having examined all the facts, arguments and counter arguments, arrive at a decision that INEC has complied substantially as required by the law, please fellow country men and women, which other public trust could have been broken by INEC in upholding a public law?
On the scorecard of 100 days in office of the President Bola Tinubu administration, Mr. Olaolu Akande again in exhibiting that he had an axe to grind with the government of the day, tried to be clever by half by first praising the government on policies only to come out in his true chameleonic element by berating the same government for in his words, lack of coordination in it’s activities due to policy refinement and portfolios adjustments of ministers.
Again, one was aghast that how can Mr. Olaolu be speaking like a man who has never held a public office to recognize that even as a private person, that policy refinement and adjustments to situations and circumstances are determined by factors induced by so many indices which are not cast in stone.
To even remember that Mr. Olaolu Akande served in the highest office of the presidency in the previous administration which exited power just about five months ago where ministers and MDA’s under them, as well as sister agencies were involved in countless confrontations and collision courses on policy direction on national issues which became a national embarrassment, speaks volume of the mischief character of Mr coordination Olaolu Akande. A typical instance among several others was the naira confiscation policy of the CBN which drew the ire of the Minister of finance.
In summary, one is utterly disappointed in Mr. Olaolu Akande embarrassing attempt to run down a public institution and government by grandstanding and playing to the gallery for populism against facts, logic, law and rationality when he’s supposed to know better or like some persons have alluded, is he still in sifia pains over the rejection of his principal as the presidential flagbearer of the party by it’s members at the APC presidential primary convention and has refused to heal almost one year after?
Well, like we say in our local parlance, na him sabi, however one prays that he gets healed, but on this matter, Mr Olaolu Akande goofed.
-Nelson Ekujumi, a political analyst writes from Lagos
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