Laolu Akande, the former spokesperson for former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, has strongly denied allegations made by Babachir Lawal, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Lawal had claimed in a recent interview that former President Muhammadu Buhari viewed Osinbajo's 2023 presidential ambition as highly immoral and distasteful, arguing that Buhari would have struggled to back Osinbajo due to his enduring political relationship with Bola Tinubu.

Serving as Osinbajo’s official spokesperson from 2015 to 2023, Akande rejected these assertions as entirely false. Having been directly present for high-level decisions throughout that administration, Akande felt compelled to set the record straight. He stated that Buhari personally offered his backing to the former vice-president on at least four separate occasions, reassuring him by asking who else he would support if not him.

Furthermore, Akande pointed to a public moment during a Federal Executive Council meeting ahead of the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, where Buhari praised Osinbajo for running a dignified, issues-focused campaign before the entire council. Akande argued that this public commendation contradicts any notion that the former president found the ambition distasteful, highlighting instead that Buhari encouraged and applauded the bid.

In the June 2022 APC presidential primary, Osinbajo finished third with 235 votes, trailing Rotimi Amaechi with 316 votes and eventual election winner Bola Tinubu with 1,271 votes.