Laolu Akande: Stop Blaming Vice Presidents for What Presidents Do

Laolu Akande, former spokesman for ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, says the difference between the President and the Vice President is like light and darkness.

Akande said this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he spoke about how the presidency works and what he saw while serving as media aide to Osinbajo.

According to him, many Nigerians do not understand that the President and the Vice President operate differently. The President takes the final decision, while the Vice President can only advise and make suggestions.

“The difference between the President and the Vice is light and darkness. The President has the power, the Vice does not,” he said.

Akande recalled that under former President Muhammadu Buhari, Osinbajo brought many ideas to the table, but they were not always taken. He stressed that the system and the constitution give all the powers to the President.

He said people who attacked Osinbajo at the time did not understand that he could not overrule Buhari. According to him, the same thing is happening now with President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima: Shettima can advise, but Tinubu decides.

Akande urged Nigerians to stop blaming Vice Presidents for what Presidents do, saying the gap between the two offices is too wide.