Former presidential spokesman Laolu Akande has rejected allegations by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, that ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo filled his office with members of his church.
Responding to Lawal’s remarks via a statement issued on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Akande said the Office of the Vice President under Osinbajo was one of the most inclusive in the Muhammadu Buhari administration, comprising Nigerians from different regions, religions and professional backgrounds.
Akande said: “The claim that Osinbajo appointed people because they were church members is false and is easily disproved by the staff list itself.
“The Office was one of the most inclusive, pan-Nigerian offices in that government — North, South, East, West, Christian and Muslim.
“To suggest a narrow church agenda is not only to ignore the facts, but to pursue a curious and worrying vendetta.”
Akande noted that the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in the Office of the Vice President, Ade Ipaye, was a Muslim, while three of Osinbajo’s four Special Advisers were also Muslims.
The former vice president’s spokesman stated: “The most senior official in the Office — the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President — was Mr. Ade Ipaye, a Muslim and a distinguished lawyer.
“Three of his four Special Advisers were Muslims, including two Northerners: Mrs. Maryam Uwais and Dr. Ahmad Zakari. The others were Senator Babafemi Ojudu, a Muslim, and Ambassador Adeyemi Dipeolu.”
He also listed dozens of senior aides from different parts of the country, including Prof. Balkisu Saidu, Amb. Abdullahi Gwary, Ismaeel Ahmed, Ajuri Ngelale, Mariam Masha, Jumoke Oduwole, Tochi Nwachukwu, Mohammed Brimah, Nonye Ojekwe, and several others, saying the appointments reflected national diversity rather than religious affiliation.
Akande also refuted Lawal’s claim that former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okey Enelamah, was appointed because he succeeded Osinbajo as pastor of a Redeemed Christian Church of God parish.
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He said: “The truth: Dr. Enelamah at the time of his appointment headed one of Africa’s largest private equity firms.
“He was proposed by two individuals in the financial services industry and it was President Buhari’s Chief of Staff, the late Mallam Abba Kyari, who informed Prof. Osinbajo that the President wanted to appoint Enelamah.”
Akande stressed that even decisions taken by Osinbajo while serving as acting president followed constitutional and legal procedures.
He said: “When Prof. Osinbajo acted as President, he was constitutionally required to review lists of board nominees before transmission for confirmation.
“Where changes were made, they were strictly on grounds of compliance with the law — federal character, age, qualification, or professional requirements. President Buhari was fully briefed upon his return and had no issue with those corrections.”
Akande stressed that Lawal’s allegations were driven by personal grievances following his removal as SGF, adding: “But personal grievance cannot justify the manufacture of falsehoods against a man who served with integrity.
“Prof. Osinbajo served President Buhari loyally for eight years, without blemish, with an inclusive team that reflected the best of Nigeria. The records are there for anyone who cares to check.”
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