President Bola Tinubu, former President Muhammadu Buhari, and the ruling All Progressives Congress, among others, on Monday, celebrated a former Osun State Governor, Chief Bisi Akande, as he marks his 85th birthday on January 16, 2024 (today).
Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said, “Baba…is a cherished friend and confidant, ever so generous with his wise counsel.”
Akande was born in Ila Orangun on January 16, 1939, in the present-day Osun Central senatorial district. He served as governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003 on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy.
In February 2013, when AD finalised a merger with the Congress for Progressive Change, the All Nigeria Peoples Party and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance to form the All Progressives Congress, he became the first interim chairman of the new party.
According to Ngelale, Tinubu extolled Akande’s defining principles of integrity, loyalty, truth, and justice, recalling his exemplary leadership odyssey and selfless service to Nigeria.
“Baba was a principal actor in the founding of our great party, the All Progressives Congress.
“He has always been a progressive; always noble and disciplined in thoughts and actions, as well as given to rational and enlightened ideals.
“He is a cherished friend and confidant, ever so generous with his wise counsel. I celebrate him,” the President said.
Tinubu wished Akande many more years in good health and strength, thanking him for his unfailing support and sacrifice over the years and now.
Similarly, former President Buhari sent birthday greetings to Akande, describing him as a wise man under whose watch the APC made great strides.
Buhari said he and Akande shared common positions on a number of political issues and others affecting the nation, saying “he is a very wise man who laid a solid foundation for the growth and development of our party.”
He wished Akande good health and many more years of service to the party and the nation.
The ruling APC also congratulated its first interim national chairman on his birthday anniversary.
The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Monday, described Akande as a stable and selfless promoter of peace.
“We join family, friends, associates, and party faithful to give a befitting toast to a patriot, elder-statesman, veteran grassroots politician, administrator par excellence, and an icon of political progressivism.
“The APC owes a debt of gratitude to Chief Akande for his invaluable contribution to the Party’s founding and for his leadership that laid the foundation for our massive and historic electoral victory in the 2015 general elections.
“A father figure, a unifier, and a strident voice of reason, Chief Akande remains a stable and selfless promoter of peace and reconciliation among leaders and members of our great party,” the APC said.
Also, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and his deputy, Benjamin Kalu, joined other well-meaning Nigerians to congratulate Akande on his 85th birthday.
Abbas in a congratulatory message signed by his media aide, Musa Krisha, commended Akande for his role as one of the founding fathers of the ruling party.
The Speaker noted that the solid foundation laid by Akande and other progressives for the APC had sustained the party in power since 2015 and prayed God to grant him good health in his continuous service to the nation.
Kalu, in his congratulatory message to the elder statesman, described Akande as “a great leader who has continued to pursue the unity and progress of Nigeria with zeal and zest.”
Similarly, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State described Akande as “baba omo keke” while lauding the ex-Osun governor for being a true democrat and an advocate of good governance.
He said, “On behalf of my family, the government and the people of Lagos State, I congratulate our father, Baba Omo Kekeke, Chief Bisi Akande on his 85th birthday.
“Chief Bisi Akande, a true democrat, has been a member of the progressive camp for many decades. He has been playing active roles in party politics and governance in Nigeria since the Second Republic. He is an advocate of good governance, restructuring and true federalism in Nigeria.”
