A former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, says President Bola Tinubu had long resolved to replace Wale Edun, his estranged ally and former Finance Minister.
Akande, who disclosed this while appearing on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television, said President Tinubu had, months earlier, asked Edun to step aside, citing health concerns as part of the rationale.
But he said Edun was initially reluctant to quit office.
Akande attributed the shift in the president’s confidence to the growing influence of younger technocrats within the administration, particularly Taiwo Oyedele and Zacch Adedeji.
He said both men had become central to the administration’s economic direction, earning Tinubu’s trust through their policy contributions.
Behind the scenes, Akande explained, tensions had emerged between Edun and the technocrats over differing policy approaches.
Akande said these disagreements increasingly tilted presidential attention toward Oyedele’s recommendations, which were often at variance with Edun’s stance.
“The President depends on those two very much,” Akande stated, referring to Oyedele and Adedeji.
“For the most part, the President was listening to Oyedele more than he was listening to Edun.”
The former presidential aide added that Oyedele’s eventual positioning within the Ministry of Finance signaled a clear policy direction and reinforced the President’s evolving preference for a new generation of economic advisers.
“Now, that didn’t go down well with Edun who was the Minister of Finance and a longer ally of the President. So, over the years, there have been conflicts between what the younger technocrats are saying and what Edun wanted to do,” he stated.
The development underscores a broader shift within the administration, where emerging technocratic voices appear to be reshaping Nigeria’s fiscal and economic policy landscape.
Laolu Akande
