By Peter Omopo / 20th August 2025
Pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Osun State Governor, Chief Bisi Akande, on Wednesday led a delegation of party chieftains to Kaduna to condole with the family of late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Akande described Buhari as “a patriotic leader” whose legacy of service and integrity would outlive him. Speaking at the residence of the late president, the APC elder statesman said the news of Buhari’s death came to him as a personal shock.
“I first heard of his death when I was abroad. Before then, I had met him in Daura, and he was looking healthy and very strong. His passing was very painful, very, very painful,” Akande recalled.
He explained that his first duty upon returning to Nigeria was to visit the family to commiserate and pray with them. “That’s what I have come here to do today,” he added.
Paying tribute to the late president, Akande said: “He was a great Nigerian. He was patriotic. Maybe he was an angel coming in human flesh. His spirit will continue to live forever because of the good work he did in Nigeria.”
The condolence delegation included Senator Abu Ibrahim, former Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare, APC stalwart Alhaji Mahmud Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment Silas Agara, and Convener of the Arewa Think Tank Mohammed Alhaji Yakubu.
They were received by the late president’s widow, Aisha Buhari, and his eldest son, Yusuf Buhari.
In his response, Yusuf Buhari expressed deep appreciation to Akande and his team, noting that the family had received overwhelming support since his father’s death. He also thanked President Bola Tinubu for ensuring a befitting burial.
“We are grateful to President Tinubu for giving our father the honour he deserved. Nigerians have stood with us in prayers, visits, and messages, and we do not take it for granted,” Yusuf said.
He pledged that the family would uphold the values of integrity, discipline, and patriotism that defined Buhari’s life and leadership.
