•••SAYS NO AFENIFERE ENDORSEMENT FOR TINUBU
•••EVENT AT PA FASORANTI’S HOUSE AT AKURE NOT AFENIFERE MEETING
The foremost Yoruba socio cultural group, Afenifere, has restated its adoption of the Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, as its Presidential Candidate for the 2023 general elections.
The Secretary General of Afenifere, Sola Ebiseni, faulted the claim that only the leader of the body, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, adopted the Candidate of the LP for the Presidency in 2023.
Ebiseni said that the decision to adopt Obi was taken after comprehensive deliberations involving all members of Afenifere at the residence of Pa Adebanjo.
The Afenifere Scribe made the comment while featuring on the Arise Television Early Morning Show on Tuesday monitored by the Network.
He said, “I was here sometimes to disabuse the minds of Nigerians about the lies being peddled around that the endorsement of Peter obi was a unilateral decision of chief ayo adebanjo.
“And by the grace of God I am in the position to say what afenifere has been doing for the last close to two years. I said the first route towards taking a decision was started by one of our leaders Senator Femi Okurounmu on the 29th of July.””
“We had serious debate, rigorous debates., Sometimes we do not agree because Afenifere is constituted of people of diverse political interests. My own political interest for instance is in the public domain. But at the end of the day••• not withstanding comments that I may make or individuals May make ,the decision of Afenifere was finally announced at a press conference on the 26th of September 2022. The press conference was addressed by chief adebanjo and all of us were present.”
He said that the endorsement of Tinubu was not an Afenifere endorsement as the meeting was not an Afenifere meeting.
Ebiseni who dismissed insinuations that there is division in Afenifere explained that the respected leader, Fasoranti had the powers to bless any one, and as many people that would seek his blessings as was the case in the past.
He added that even the notice for the Akure meeting was issued in the name of a Whatssap Group called “The Conscience of the Yoruba Nation”
He explained further that Afenifere adopted Peter Obi as its Presidential Candidate because “that is equity, that is fairness, that is inclusiveness, that is restructuring.”
He stressed that the interest of the Yoruba nation was to live in a Federation where there will be peace and Peter Obi was the metaphor for the aspirations of the people of the South East, South South and the Middle Belt.”
“Afenifere first and foremost is about Yoruba interest but what is Yoruba interest? Yoruba interest first and foremost is that we live in a federation where there will be peace, where there will ever be peace because when you see what is going on, Peter obi is the metaphor for South South; Obi is metaphor for South East. He is a metaphor for the middle belt otherwise those three elements … Jonathan’s presidency was an aberration because if Yar’Adua had not died I bet you no body would have gone to the creeks of Bayelsa to pick Jonathan.”
He stressed that the six geo political zones of Nigeria are the ruling houses of the Nigerian presidency.
He insisted that the Akure meeting comprised Afenifere and other stakeholders in Yoruba land
He said that the visit by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his entourage to the residence of Pa Reuben Fasoranti was not an Afenifere meeting.
However, Ebiseni described the visit as a blessing in disguise both to Pa Fasoranti and Afenifere as Yoruba leaders who rejected his leadership visited him to accept him in repentance.
“Pa Fasoranti was appointed leader of Afenifere in 2008, November precisely at the death of Pa Abraham Adesanya.
It was in that same year that those who went to Pa Fasoranti separated from Afenifere and formed what they call Afenifere Renewal Group and never had anything to do with him throughout his reign from November 2008 till 16th March 2021.
“They never had anything to do with him. As a matter of fact they set up several dissident organizations to supplant his leadership.
“On Saturday or there about, they came to the same Fasoranti they never accepted as a leader. They worshipped at his altar, they removed their caps and allowed him to place his hands on them in repentance.
“What they had come to do is repentance, to accept the fact that they erred. And normally Chief Fasoranti invited some of his people. It was not an Afenifere meeting. How is it therefore a blessing to Afenifere?
“Before now the impression had been created that Afenifere was not relevant in the scheme of things. Afenifere cannot dictate for Yoruba land, Afenifere cannot do this but surreptitiously, they went through the background to seek that face of Afenifere. So it is a blessing to both Pa Fasoranti that at 96 those who never believed in him, came to worship at his altar and bow down their heads and removed their caps before him.”
