“Bisi Akande: #EndSARS Protest Was Funded from America to Halt Tinubu’s Rise”
Former Osun State Governor and ex-Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bisi Akande, has stirred controversy by claiming that the 2020 #EndSARS protest was engineered to end the political career of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Speaking on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by broadcaster Edmund Obilo, Akande suggested that the protest was orchestrated by the Obidients — a movement that supported Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election — and was financially backed from America.
The #EndSARS protests, which erupted across major cities in Nigeria in 2020, were initially sparked by widespread outrage over police brutality, particularly by the Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS). The movement, which demanded police reform, quickly gained momentum as millions of Nigerians took to the streets in peaceful demonstrations.
However, according to Akande, the protest was not just a response to police brutality but a carefully planned effort to undermine Tinubu, who was then a leading figure in the APC. He explained that the Obidients, who later formed a political movement and supported Obi, were behind the protests, with substantial funding coming from the United States.
“#EndSARS was aimed to be the end of Tinubu. Yes, #EndSARS was designed to be the end of Tinubu. Those behind the ENDSARS knew that’s what they were doing. The Obidients were behind the EndSARS,” Akande said, adding that the movement was initially manufactured in America with the intent to stop Tinubu’s political ascent.
Akande further clarified his stance on the connection between the Obidients movement and Peter Obi, stating, “Maybe Obi’s party, I don’t know. Maybe Obi’s movement, I don’t know. But the Obidients were behind the EndSARS. It was well planned, organised with a lot of money from America.”
When asked why Tinubu did not foresee the protests as a threat, Akande responded, “Not every ambush is detected,” suggesting that some political strategies are difficult to predict or prevent.
This statement from Akande adds a new layer to the ongoing discourse around the #EndSARS protests and their political ramifications, particularly regarding the role of opposition movements in shaping Nigeria’s political landscape.
