Bisi Akande, former governor of Osun State and a key figure in Nigeria’s ruling party, is no stranger to controversy. But his recent claims on the political talk show State Affairs with Edmund Obilo have struck a nerve with many people.
Speaking with the conviction of a man who has seen decades of Nigeria’s shifting political tides, Akande alleged that the 2020 EndSARS protests were a calculated plot to bring down President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—before he even assumed power.
“It was aimed at the end of Tinubu,” Akande said, his voice unwavering. “Those behind it knew what they were doing. The Obidients. They were behind the EndSARS protests. It was manufactured from America. It was well planned and organized with a lot of money.”
For anyone who lived through the EndSARS protests, these words evoke deep emotions—whether in agreement or in outrage. The movement, which began as a call to end police brutality, particularly the excesses of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), transformed into one of Nigeria’s largest youth-led uprisings.
It was a moment of reckoning, a time when young Nigerians demanded accountability, chanting slogans of change and waving national flags in defiance of a system they believed had failed them.
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But was it really a politically engineered movement designed to stop Tinubu’s rise? Or is this claim another chapter in Nigeria’s long history of conspiracy theories?
Thousands of young Nigerians marched peacefully, believing that if their voices were loud enough, change would follow. But on the night of October 20, 2020, at the Lekki Toll Gate, everything changed. Gunshots rang out. People fell. The movement that had given young Nigerians hope turned into a painful national wound.
So when Akande suggests that these protests were orchestrated by “Obidients”—a reference to supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate—it raises a fundamental question: Were those who braved bullets on that night simply political pawns?
Akande’s assertion that “they later formed a movement” suggests that the EndSARS protests were the ideological precursor to the Obidient movement—a political force that upended Nigeria’s traditional two-party dominance in 2023. While there is no denying that many young Nigerians who participated in EndSARS found a political voice in the 2023 elections, does correlation equal causation?
Yet, Akande insists that foreign forces, particularly from the United States, had a hand in the protests. It’s a claim that mirrors other conspiracy theories surrounding mass protests worldwide, from the Arab Spring to Black Lives Matter. But without concrete evidence, such claims remain speculative at best.
Three years after EndSARS, its ghosts still linger. Some activists remain in hiding. Some families still seek justice. Others have moved on, choosing survival over confrontation.
For many, the suggestion that EndSARS was nothing more than a political chess move is an insult to the sacrifices made. Yet, in Nigeria’s ever-polarized political climate, narratives are shaped not just by facts, but by the interests they serve.
Was EndSARS a spontaneous uprising against oppression, or was it a well-funded attempt to derail Tinubu’s political journey? The truth, as always, lies somewhere between perspective and politics.
What remains undeniable is that for young Nigerians like Temiloluwa, EndSARS was never about power—it was about people. And for those who bled on that fateful night in Lekki, their pain should never be reduced to mere political rhetoric.
As Nigeria grapples with its future, one thing is clear: The voices that rose during EndSARS are still here. Whether through activism or politics, they continue to shape the nation’s discourse. And while politicians may argue over its origins, the movement’s legacy remains written in the hearts of those who lived it.
Because at the end of the day, Akande’s comment raises posers: was EndSARS about Tinubu, or was it about Nigeria?