Chieftain of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Olu Falae, spoke at the weekend of how he can never again work with National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Bola Tinubu, because he (Tinubu) and some others “rebelled” against leaders of the group during the Alliance for Democracy (AD) days.

Falae, in an exclusive interview with Daily Independent, alleged that Governors elected on the platform of AD before the 2003 general elections had insisted that they could no longer be controlled by Afenifere leaders “and they said we were no longer their leaders. They broke away from Afenifere and became rebels.

“They teamed up with another rebel group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to form the ACN.

“I am not a rebel. That is why I am not in ACN. Thank God, the youths they misled to form the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), many of them are now back within the fold of original Afenifere because they have seen the light. They now know that we are serving without selfish motive,” Falae said.

Tinubu, then as Governor of Lagos State, was a member of the AD.

But Falae claimed that Tinubu never won the AD primaries in 1999, and that God used him (Falae) to get Tinubu nominated as the governorship candidate to run on the platform of AD.

According to him, “Late Funsho Williams who won the primary election of the AD backed down after my intervention.

“I pleaded with Funsho Williams that by the grace of God if I become the president, I will give him legitimate recognition and opportunity to serve the country if he allowed Tinubu to become AD governorship nominee to save our leader, Pa Abraham Adesanya, the late leader of Afenifere, who announced him as the winner.

“Pa Adesanya was shot nine times by the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha’s men. His children prevailed on him to stop leading NADECO but instead he replied that the struggle had just started. Ironically, Tinubu turned round to destroy Afenifere.

“It was Williams who won the AD primaries but there were some disagreements in parts of Mainland Local Government and Ikorodu; Pa Adesanya settled for Tinubu as the winner of the governorship primaries simply because he (Tinubu) was a key leader during the NADECO movement against the military government under Abacha.

“Tinubu suffered in consequence and was in exile abroad while I was detained with others for two years in Nigeria. Pa Adesanya insisted that one of us who suffered should be governor so that he could rehabilitate others.

“General Alani Akinriade’s house was completely destroyed. My farm was over grown with weed when I returned from detention,” Falae stated.

While expressing belief that Yoruba land and Nigeria can still be better governed, he said “for 12 years, despite all Tinubu did to us, we tried to reconcile with them for the sake of our people.

“We have held more than 16 meetings both in Ijebu Igbo at the home of our late leader and thereafter in Akure, at the home of Chief Fasoranti, the current leader of Afenifere and again at Ibadan.

“We got late Justice Kayode Eso, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi and Bishop Ladigbolu to reconcile us. Eso chaired a committee of eminent people to reconcile us but they never showed up.

“We tried through over 12 bi-lateral meetings. They did not make that possible. We got justice Eso, they never showed up. Finally, we got Mama HID Awolowo to intervene at Ikenne, they preempted the meeting by going there a day before the scheduled date.

“They vowed they would never sit with us on planet earth. Later, they themselves took an initiative to invite us to a meeting at Premier Hotel in Ibadan.

“Those who invited us to the meeting did not show up but we were there. Tinubu, Segun Osoba, Niyi Adebayo were not there. Only late Lam Adesina and Bisi Akande were there.

“So, when we endorsed Governor Mimiko for second term, they began to insult us. When they formed the ACN, we did not insult them.

“We have a right to belong to political association of our choice and we did. So can you now understand why we are not together? Very unfortunate, but they were the ones who were ready to run for governors as at 1999.

“They won election not because they were popular but on the strength of Afenifere. I was the one that raised the hand of late Adebayo Adefarati before he emerged as governor in Ondo State in 1999.

“The AD was formed by the Afenifere two months to the election. The South West people voted for the name Awolowo and because of Afenifere,” Falae explained.

Speaking on the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC), Falae explained that as the National Chairman of Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA), he was the chairman of Muhamadu Buhari’s campaign in the South West.

“All I am saying is that I have personal links with the leading members of APC.

“We don’t rule out any possibility. But the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is the one we are trying to revive and by the grace of God when that is operational very soon, all options are open because the bigger the better.

Source: http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/03/25/i-cannot-work-with-tinubu-falae/

What do my Yoruba people think about this war of words between their new leader Tinubu and Olu Falea - the one time leader of yorubas and the favorite candidate of Yoruba for the 1999 presidential elections? who should we support now?
Anyway I think its time to put the house in order and stop fighting dirty in public like this.

Shrewd Tinubu!

He should join pdp... Sure the clans in pdp will make him happy.

OsunOriginal: He should join pdp... Sure the clans in pdp will make him happy.

are you suggesting we abandon Falea now for Tinubu?

Mr. Globe:
What do my Yoruba people think about this war of words between their new leader Tinubu and Olu Falea - the one time leader of yorubas and the favorite candidate of Yoruba for the 1999 presidential elections? who should we support now?
Anyway I think its time to put the house in order and stop fighting dirty in public like this.

Shut up your mouth. If Tinubu had not rebelled out of AD,do you think there will be an ACN today ? Well you lack knowledge of what happened in the last ten years,so I will leave you alone to ridicule yourself in this grand stupidity.

Falae should tell us how he and the other Afeniferes compromised their opposition ideology to do the bidding of Obasanjo whom the likes of Tinubu strongly opposed which further led to the loss of the south western states to PDP excluding Lagos.ACN is where it is today because of that singular rebellion by Tinubu.

So gofuckyourself and learn mo'r'on !

Baba Falae basking in arrant self-glorification and illusions of grandeur.

Enough of this rhetoric from Baba Falae.
All this rants and noise is coloured by envy and utter jealousy of Tinubu, who studied the swinging of the pendulum; thereby become one of the national political figure and by all standard the leading opposition leader.
Falae would love to be recognised in lieu of Tinubu, because the latter is a 'young guy' who was not a direct disciple of Awolowo, whereas Falae and Fasoranti were.
Chief Micheal Koleoso chaired the committee that endorsed Tinubu as guber aspirant and not Falae, who was busy pursuing his presidential ambition.
Tinubu had a contrary view against the Afenifere when they decided to pitched tent with Obasanjo for his second term.
Infact, he was the only AD governor that kicked against such move.
That singular action of his, Tinubu, made him what he is today; National Leader of ACN.
He was able to secure second term, while his co-governors lost the bid to come back as a result of their alliance with Obj.
Tinubu, the man who emerged from scratch, with no traceable political pedigree is dazzling and championing the political course of the SW, while, the 'self-assumed' heir apparent of Awo political dynasty are struggling to get attention, hence, the bitterness against BOLA AKANBI TINUBU.
Falae can go ahead with the resurrection of SDP, it will later dawn on him that 'he' is a forgotten politician and he wont even win in his voting unit.
Ire o.

TINUBU should tell us what happened to barrister Funsho Williams
. Bloody murderer

I am very disappointed at chief Olu falae's Comments, bt he is entitle to it.
*Did chief olu falae nt betray the late bola Ige?
*how can Chief Olu Falae be angry with tinubu wen it was obvious dat Tinubu did nt allow d yoruba Race to sink finally under OBJ regime as president. All the So called Yoruba leaders because of dia selfish interested supported OBJ 4 second term and only Tinubu saw the betrayal coming. Is that a trait of a leader? Foresight! Abeg did chief himsel nt abadon AD to form anoda Party? If he was dat relevant and popular, what has he done with his party? All dis are just beef 4 Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu!

What sort of rub.bish is this man spewing from his boot(mouth)? Isn't he a rebel himself? Imagine him shooting himself on the foot while trying to paint another person's carere black...so, what does he want nw? That Tinubu should surcum to him or what?
* someone was elected by people and you intervene into the choice of the people by puting another person their and you ar still saying it publicly*smh!!

it's always good to see political affiliates turn against one another, so that we can see their dirty deals. So, Funsho Williams was Alausa-bound?. Why did u stop him, uncle Falae?. Williams' death was undoubtedly political, and i remember the song on ACN's tongues then was that he was killed by his party (PDP) members. isn't this revelation telling us that the suspicion is more on the ACN folks than the PDP folks?. But for his death he could have overthrown ACN in Lagos State, and sent the the thiefnubus to political extinction in the s/west.
Uncle Falae, o ku die ka a to. E ba ti je ki Funsho o lo igba tire.

The most important lesson in the report is that leaders should adhere to due process. Had it been the AD primary election was not manipulated by Afenifere leaders, Tinubu wouldn't have been governor. The monster created by Afenifere, destroyed the organisation.

Afenifere forgot that the voice of the people is the voice of God. When the people spoke in that primary election, the leaders of Afenifere should have listened

Pdp is at work going to bribe people acn have wronged to voice out .....nice strategy pdp.
But you will fail!! Enough is enough.

Baba falae with all due respect shuld please accept the fact tht the table has turned and he shuld stop whinnig over his declining political fortune.Afterall he has bin thr since the days of the first republic.
He shuld seek to unite all progressive forces to throw out the monster called PDP He his forever a respected elder statesman.

Falae is a clean man and not in
the category of Tinubu at all!

I don't know what the deal is with all these pdp agents on nairaland, a c n is doing just fine in SW, we are witnessing growth and development, if that is due to the influence of bola tinubu then so be it, why must it be an head ache for you foreigners?

All of them they craze

~Bluetooth:


Shut up your mouth. If Tinubu had not rebelled out of AD,do you think there will be an ACN today ? Well you lack knowledge of what happened in the last ten years,so I will leave you alone to ridicule yourself in this grand stupidity.

Falae should tell us how he and the other Afeniferes compromised their opposition ideology to do the bidding of Obasanjo whom the likes of Tinubu strongly opposed which further led to the loss of the south western states to PDP excluding Lagos.ACN is where it is today because of that singular rebellion by Tinubu.

So gofuckyourself and learn mo'r'on !

your stewpid and insulting reply is the reason why eze must go to school...the poster never insulted you

They're both rogues.