How Obi, Tinubu Divided Afenifere

This is not the best of times for the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere, as it has broken into two opposing camps that are currently singing discordant tunes.

Afenifere presents itself as the voice of the South-West, the same way that Ohanaeze Ndigbo claims to speak for the South-East, the Arewa Consultative Forum for the North, the Middle Belt Forum for the Middle Belt and the Pan Niger-Delta Forum (PANDEF) for the South-South.

Afenifere was initially seen as a socio-cultural organisation that aimed to promote the cultural heritage of the Yoruba. But this changed in 1998 when the group bankrolled the emergence of a new political party known as the Alliance for Democracy (AD). The party adopted the Afenifere agenda as its manifesto, thus signaling Afenifere transformation to a political organisation.

The coming of Afenifere into politics has been its Albatross, as the leaders have found it very difficult to speak in one voice. Last Tuesday, rising from a meeting of the organisation held at his country home in Isanya-Ogbo, Ogun State, its leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election, Peter Obi, won the election.

In a communique issued at the end of the meeting and signed by Adebanjo and its Secretary, Sola Ebiseni, Afenifere accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of manipulating the results of the election to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Afenifere said the results it obtained through credible sources confirmed that the candidate of the LP, Obi won the presidential poll.

The group, according to the communiqué, also suspended two of its principal officers, Jare Ajayi, the National Publicity Secretary and Abagun Kole Omololu the National Organising Secretary for their "uncouth activities and unauthorized statements in its name and to the constant denigration of the organisation."

The Communiqué said, "Afenifere reiterates our position that the Presidential election held on the 25th of February 2023 was characterised by all forms of primitive manipulations and non-compliance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2022 and the Guidelines and Regulations made pursuant thereto with concomitant legislative force.

"The results of the lawful votes at the Presidential election available to the Afenifere through credible sources confirm that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, won the said election and we, thus, support his decision challenging the contrary declaration by the INEC.

"Re-assert that for equity, fairness, national cohesion and peaceful corporate existence, the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be person of its southern part and specifically the South-East.

“Condemn in the strongest terms, the campaigns of calumny and acts of ethnic violence deployed by some politicians and their hired criminal gangs in several parts of the federation during the gubernatorial election, particularly in Lagos State where the election was made to appear like an inter-ethnic war between the Yoruba and Igbo which greatly led to voters’ suppression and other forms of deliberate disenfranchisement through brigandage.

“Received a message credited to Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu in a viral video alleging indictment of the Yoruba as political rascals on account of ethnic violence deployed by politicians of the ruling party in Lagos State. On the analysis of the video and information at the disposal of Afenifere by people at the Anambra State gathering, we are convinced that Chief Iwuanyanwu rightly asserted that the Yoruba and Igbo were not at war and truly condemned the shenanigans of some political rascals.

“Flowing from the above, Afenifere states that it never issued any statement and dissociates the organisation from any such statement against Chief Iwuanyanwu. "Observed the uncouth activities and unauthorised statements in its name and to the constant denigration of the organisation by Jare Ajayi, the National Publicity Secretary and Abagun Kole Omololu the National Organising Secretary.

"After due consideration of the unending embarrassing conduct of the two officers, the meeting resolved that they be and are hereby removed immediately from their respective offices and their membership be suspended sine die pending further decisions after their appearance before and recommendations by the Disciplinary Committee.

"Restate our position that in accordance with the hallowed Yoruba culture of civilised conduct, Afenifere assures all persons resident in Yorubaland,