All Progressives Congress (APC)’s national leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has said that the merger that birthed APC in 2013 could not have happened without the valuable contribution of Chief Bisi Akande.
Chief Akande was the interim National Chairman of the party during its formative stage.
In his remarks at the official launch and Public Presentation of Akande’s autobiography, titled:
“My Participations,” at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Tinubu described Chief Akande as a selfless and committed statesman.
He said, “Every now and then, we come across a person so exemplary and excellent that one word seems to fit them perfectly: Hero.
“Chief Bisi Akande is such a person. Our lives are better because of the selfless public and private contributions he has made to this national family we call Nigeria.
“Thankfully, he decided to make a written record of the events, ideas and lessons of his profound life so they may serve to enlighten and educate both the present and the future.
“This remarkable book- MY PARTICIPATIONS- written by this remarkable man is being unveiled here today. Baba Akande knew he had essential things to tell us. In his straightforward way, that is what he did in this book.
“Being a key light in our political firmament, whatever Baba says about his life also doubles as an intimate account of the political story of Nigeria.
“Baba Akande represents what a public figure in Nigeria ought to be. He is what many should aspire to be.
“From humble beginnings, Baba Akande rose through hard work, intellect, courage, perseverance, sacrifice, dedication and what he called ‘self-tuition’.
“Baba did not walk the easy road. He earned things the hard and principled way. Nothing deterred him. Though easy-going in demeanour, he was always strong of character. Without seeing the four walls of a university, Chief Akande tutored himself so well that by age 22, he had become a qualified accountant.
“Chief Akande’s political career began with his election into the Constituent Assembly in 1977. Since then, he has not looked back. His skill and abilities catapulted him to becoming the Secretary to the State Government and Deputy Governor of old Oyo State. He then served as the second democratically-elected Governor of Osun State.
“People saw in him the rare combination of the gifts of fairness, tolerance and vision. Because of this, he was chosen as chairman of the AD, AC and ACN. As a crowning achievement regarding party leadership, he served as the APC interim chairman, helping to shepherd the historic merger of several major parties into one.
“Without Baba Akande’s sage guidance, that merger might never have come to pass. We owe him deep gratitude for his singular devotion to consummating the complicated merger in such a positive manner that then Candidate General Muhammadu Buhari was able to demonstrate his popularity by achieving a monumental victory in the 2015 election.”
