Laolu Akande alleges Obasanjo undermined party politics in Nigeria, centralising power and weakening party structures
Laolu Akande, former spokesman to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has alleged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo played a key role in weakening party politics in Nigeria.
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Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Akande claimed Obasanjo’s presidency redefined party dynamics, centralising power under the office of the president and diminishing the influence of party leaders.
“One of the reasons why all of these uninspiring dispensations of party politics are upon us is because the nature of party politics in Nigeria has been heavily devalued, heavily destroyed starting from when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in office,” Akande said.
He contrasted the pre-1999 era, when political parties such as the SDP and NRC held considerable authority over presidential candidates, with today’s landscape, where party structures are subordinate to the presidency.
Akande cited examples including the late Chief Audu Ogbe confronting Obasanjo as PDP Chairman and the treatment of Solomon Lar, the founding PDP chairman in 1999.
“Whether Obasanjo knew it or not, what he was doing was wrecking party politics in Nigeria,” he added, accusing the former president of determining gubernatorial and presidential candidates.
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The remarks underscore ongoing debates about centralisation of power in Nigeria’s political system and the historical role of the presidency in shaping party influence.
