Laolu Akande, former spokesman to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has alleged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo played a key role in the decline of party politics in Nigeria.

Akande said Obasanjo taught Nigerians how to use the presidency to subdue party politics in Nigeria.

He disclosed this in an interview on Channels Television’s Inside Sources.


Akande said: “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 as our civilian leader.

“It was Obasanjo who taught us how to effectively subdue parties and their structures under the presidency.

“Before 1999, we had the SDP and NRC in the Third Republic, and before that, we had political parties in the Second Republic that were strong.

“In both republics, the political parties and their national leaders had some serious cloud over and above presidential candidates and their even the president.

“In Nigeria, it was Obasanjo who changed the dynamics when he was president. The late Chief Audu Ogbe told Obasanjo, ‘I’m not your cook but your party Chairman, so talk to me with respect.’

“Which party Chairman do you think can assert such self do you imagine can assert such self assurance in today’s politics?

“Before then, Obasanjo had dusted Solomon Lar, who was the founding Chairman of PDP in 1999. Whether Obasanjo knew it or not, what he was doing was wrecking party politics in Nigeria. He went on to determine the party candidate for the gubernatorial and presidential elections.”

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that verbal attacks against former presidential candidate Peter Obi undermine opposition unity and do not serve the interests of Nigeria or its people.

Atiku made the remark in an X post on Tuesday while reacting to rising exchanges among supporters of opposition leaders.

“Anyone who insults Obi or Atiku does not mean well for the leaders, the Coalition ADC and for Nigeria and Nigerians,” the former vice president said.

He added that such internal divisions only benefited the ruling All Progressives Congress, which he described as the main beneficiary of infighting within the opposition.

“The only persons who benefit from such a civil war are the APC urban bandits who want to maintain the satanic status quo,” Atiku stated.

He stressed the need for unity among opposition figures and supporters, noting that cooperation remained critical to advancing national development and democratic progress.

Atiku was reacting to accusations from some quarters that the former vice president’s supporters have been unfairly targeting Obi, potentially exacerbating rifts in the fragile coalition.

The coalition, formed under the ADC banner, has gained momentum following high-profile defections aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Obi officially joined the ADC in December 2025 after leaving the Labour Party, citing the need for a stronger opposition platform to address Nigeria’s economic hardships and governance failures.

Atiku had defected to the party a month earlier, framing it as a mission to “rescue Nigeria.”

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has asked the National Publicity Secretary of the party to resign from the position immediately.

The party said the call becomes necessary after listening to Morka’s interview on national television and the commentaries he passed against its stand on the legislative overreach and what he described as coup d’etat orchestrated by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to oust the Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Prof (Mrs) Ngozi Odu.

The party said it was embarrassing that Morka responded to the question posed to him on the status of the Mr Darlington Nwauju, who issued statements on the behalf of the party in Rivers.


Morka had described Nwauju as “…an official of the old exco, saying he doubts if he is still part of the current exco…”

In a statement signed by Nwauju on Tuesday, the APC in Rivers State said it is alarmed at the continuous ridicule, disrespect and disregard for lawful court rulings by Morka which he claims has cast a big question mark on the authenticity of the statements, comments and opinions published by the legally recognized Party Spokesperson in Rivers State.

“We are therefore calling for his disbarment, owing to the fact that Suit No. PHC/3592/CS/2023 (Sam Sam Etetegwung Vs APC) and Suit No 3859/CS/2024 (OkwuJoe Brown Ndke Vs APC), both nullified the purported dissolution of Executives elected in October 16 2021 and voided the kangaroo congress conducted in November 2023 to replace the Executives elected in October 2021, thereby giving Mr Nwauju the audacity to speak for thei party in Rivers,” the statement added.

“Since we are practicing a Constitutional democracy and our Party is built on progressive ideals to defend democratic practice and promote the rule law, Mr Morka has lost the moral high ground to continue to act as a national officer of our great party having been elected to come on national television to promote partisan interpretation to subsisting court rulings over the party leadership question in Rivers APC.

“This misleading narrative is too dangerous to be ignored by any true member of our party praying for the party to mobilize and win elections fair and square in Rivers for Mr President.

“We dare say that Mr Morka should have kept quiet rather than using his interview to launder the image of a non-party member over and above one of the Party’s Governors who doubles as the undisputable leader of our party in Rivers State.

“Again, we are also aware that the National Working Committee, outside of the National Executive Committee (NEC) is the conscience of our party and should not continue to condone persons who are out to promote divisiveness over and above internal party cohesion.

“We are further aware of the provisions of Article 13.4 (xvi), ‘The National Working Committee shall liaise with governments formed by the Party at all levels with a view to ensuring that members of the Party are accorded priority in appointments into public offices, and shall provide periodic reports in this regard to the National Executive Committee’.

“We are therefore at a loss as to why Mr Morka, a national officer of the APC would downplay the serious issue of a self-serving impeachment process against a serving APC Governor. The opinion of Mr Morka, which we very well know is entirely personal and can not pass for the stand of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives congress in Nigeria leaves so much to be desired and calls to question his loyalty to the APC.

“Mr Morka’s poor attitude to the collective wellbeing and interest of our Party leaves both a black eye and sour taste on the lips of party faithfuls across Rivers State and beyond. We are tempted to ask: “Is Morka truly working for the victory of the APC?

“Mr Morka is a trained lawyer who should know better but has willfully chosen to look the other way because the crisis profits him economically.

“We believe it is now time for the NBA and specifically, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Council to investigate and review the deliberate, scandalous conduct of Mr Morka whose comments and behaviour on national television are calculated to detract from the dignity of the court and cause irreparable reputational damage to the legal profession in Nigeria.

“We reiterate this fact and let it be known to all including the National Working Committee of our great party that action(s) taken by persons who were purportedly “elected” into the leadership of the APC in Rivers State through kangaroo congresses conducted under Alhaji Umar Ganduje in November 2023, are a direct affront on the courts as their activities are built on a faulty foundation and cannot survive the test of legal fireworks!

“Our National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwada and Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru must not allow what happened to Rivers APC in 2019, to repeat itself.”