By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
For the umpteenth time, the apex Yoruba socio-political cum cultural pressure group, Afenifere is insisting that its endorsement of the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Gregory Obi is for equity, fairness and national unity.
Afenifere Secretary General, Otunba Sola Ebiseni made the clarification on Arise News breakfast programme ‘The Morning Show’ monitored in Abuja by Prompt News Online on Tuesday.
According to Ebiseni ,the endorsement of Obi by Afenifere was a done deal, pointing out that the decision was not taken in a hurry or based on any pecuniary considerations.
Said he: “There is no controversy over Afenifere’s endorsement of the Labour Party flag-bearer, Mr. Peter Obi. It took Afenifere many weeks of deliberations to arrive at the decision to back the candidate of Labour Party based on equity, justice, fairness and national unity”.
Speaking further the Afenifere chieftain argued that: “Afenifere is founded in equity, fairness, justice and above all national unity. Support for the Labour Party candidate is in tandem with what Afenifere stands for”.
Said he: “Peter Obi is a metaphor for the minority Nigerians because if the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wins the 2023 presidential election, it will bring a new trajectory that a Fulani Northerner can always win the presidential election without recourse to any other part of Nigeria.
“In the same vein, if the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate win in 2023, it means that the Presidency of Nigeria will rotate between the Fulani/ Northerners and the Yorubas. So Peter Obi represents the unity of Nigeria hence Afenifere endorsed him”.
Asked if Afenifere is not factionalized following the recent endorsement of the APC presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Akure by Pa Reuben Fasoranti, Ebiseni poured cold water on the arguments of a second endorsement by the same group.
According to him: “what happened in Akure in the house of the elder statesman, Pa Reuben Fasoranti was not the Afenifere meeting.
Those who went to Pa Fasoranti were not Afenifere, they are members of the Afenifere Renewal Group, dissidents who broke away from Afenifere”.
Going down the memory lane, the Afenifere scribe revealed that: “in 2015, Pa Fasoranti wanted to resign as he wrote a letter to members, he tendered the letter of resignation but Pa Ayo Adebanjo and Pa Lanihun Ajayi persuaded him to stay on”.
He disclosed that Pa Fasoranti wanted to resign because of the nefarious activities of members of Afenifere Renewal Group, saying that the same group that frustrated the man has gone back to him to seek for blessing.
Explaining how Chief Ayo Adebanjo became the anointed leader of Afenifere, Ebiseni insists that the transmission of power from former leader Pa Fasoranti to the current leader Chief Adebanjo was initiated and executed by the former.
Said he: “On March 16, 2022 Pa Fasoranti called a meeting Afenifere where he read a letter in the presence of member, he identified Pa Adebanjo, praised him for standing firm for Afenifere and after reading the letter, transmitted power to Pa Adebanjo.
He also directed Oba Olaitan to assist Pa Adebanjo and charged every member to support them”.
Ebiseni stated that the National Executive and General Meeting of Afenifere have been going on unhindered, arguing that what happened in Akure in the house of Pa Fasoranti is nothing but a courtesy call by the same members of Afenifere Renewal Group.
“Two Groups of people who met in Akure are those who will always be on the side of Pa Fasoranti whenever he has an event while the other group are APC leaders.
“The same Afenifere Renewal Group who deceived late Ayo Fasanmi are now going to Reuben Fasoranti they hounded to seek for blessing”, Ebiseni concluded.
