The Organising Secretary of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Kole Omololu, speaks to PETER DADA about the differences between the group’s leaders, Pa Reuben Fasoranti and Chief Ayo Adebanjo, on the endorsement of the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress and Labour Party, Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi, respectively

You were in attendance when the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, visited Baba Reuben Fasoranti in Akure. How did the meeting go?

I was present at the meeting; not only that, I was the soul behind the gathering. It was a successful meeting, a historical meeting; the best of the people of Oduduwa nation were there on the invitation of Baba Fasoranti, the leader of Afenifere, to come and speak with one voice and tell the world that Yoruba is one and we have decided to speak the truth and speak with one voice. You can see the array of Yoruba sons and daughters that were present there — General Olu Bajowa (retd.), Lt. Gen. Alani Akinriande (retd.), Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, Dr Kunle Olajide , Prof. Isaac Adewole, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the Governor of Ekiti State, Deputy Governor of Ondo State, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, Bashorun Arogbofa, Chief Olu Falae, and many others distinguished Yoruba sons and daughters. It was a gathering of the best of Oduduwa; it went well.

Some prominent members of Afenifere were observed to be absent from the meeting; were they not invited?


I couldn’t note any significant absence from our members that were there . The gathering was strictly by invitation. (It was) only by invitation; if you were not invited, then you couldn’t be there.

You said you couldn’t note any significant absence; what about Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Sola Ebiseni, and others that were absent?

Baba Adebanjo was duly invited and informed but he did not make the meeting. And also, most other people were invited. The General Secretary (Sola Ebiseni) lives in Akure and he was duly invited. Maybe due to one reason or the other, he could not make it. All the other officers, the deputy leader also called baba to confirm.

https://punchng.com/fasorantis-endorsement-of-tinubu-nullifies-adebanjos-obi-choice-afenifere-chieftain/

Fasoranti was bullied and a statement was extracted from him under duress.

Adebanjo gave his endorsement in a free and fair manner.

That's the fact.

PA Fasoranti is the Leader of Afenifere and he has spoken.

Anything else is noise

TheSameGuy:
That's the fact.

PA Fasoranti is the Leader of Afenifere and he has spoken.

Anything else is noise

Says an Omo ale. Adebanjo is the supreme leader of Afenifere and his words are sacrosanct. We the real Omoluabis stands with Adebanjo.

okay ooo


meanwhile....

How can Osu outcast like you be laying claim and telling us who truly is Afenifere Leader

Anyway get ready, Tomorrow is another sit at home or death in Alaigbo.
May it last long

Corridon:
Says an Omo ale. Adebanjo is the supreme leader of Afenifere and his words are sacrosanct. We the real Omoluabis stands with Adebanjo.

Fasoranti makes U-turn, says Adebanjo remains Afenifere leader


Sonibare cautions Tinubu’s media handlers to stop creating tension in Afenifere
• Your celebration of Tinubu’s endorsement by Makinde is laughable, Oyo PDP mocks APC
• Tinubu as president will not disappoint Nigerians – SWAGA

After days of chest-thumping, the patriarch of the Yoruba apex socio-political group, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, has declared that Chief Ayo Adebanjo remains the leader of the group.

In a statement made available to journalists in Akure, yesterday, Personal Assistant to the patriarch, Adedapo Abiola, debunked as mere rumour reports that Adebanjo had been de-robed of his leadership position.

On Wednesday, reports had been rife that Adebanjo, who is the acting leader of the group, had been suspended as a fall-out of the endorsement of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Sunday.

Recall that Tinubu was received by some Afenifere and Yoruba leaders at Fasoranti’s house in Akure, throwing their weight behind him ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Days after, the supposed endorsement had caused divisions within the group, as it is divided into the Labour Party (LP) faction, led by Adebanjo, who was conspicuously absent in the Akure meeting; and the Fasoranti-led faction rooting for Tinubu.

But in a retraction of recent developments, Abiola said: “It has come to Papa R.F. Fasoranti’s knowledge that some sections of the media, especially the social media, have been ascribing to him false statements designed to cause confusion and polarise Afenifere.

“I have Papa’s permission to say that he has not said that Chief Adebanjo is no longer the acting leader of Afenifere or that all future Afenifere meetings should henceforth be held at his residence in Akure.”

He explained that “Papa’s main concern is the interest of Yoruba in the complex political situation in Nigeria. It is also his concern that Afenifere should survive in dignity and remain a purveyor of the interest of the Yoruba race.”

FOLLOWING yesterday’s position of Fasoranti that his successor, Adebanjo, remained the leader of Afenifere, the chairman of the Lagos branch of the group, Chief Supo Sonibare, told The Guardian that the issue between the two elders has been resolved.

Sonibare said: “It was unfortunate that the media handlers of Tinubu deliberately created unfounded misunderstanding between the two nonagenarians for wherever intention they aimed to achieve.”

He also dismissed the allegation that Adebanjo unilaterally endorsed Obi. According to him, “I do not think it was right to intentionally demonise Pa Adebanjo. Majority of the people in the Afenifere executive endorsed Obi. The matter was taken to the General Assembly, where all state chairmen of the group were present and Obi was endorsed. The issue simply became aggravated due to politics and interest.”

Sonibare said he could not understand why the endorsement of Obi by Afenifere suddenly became a controversy leading to an altercation between the two leaders.
“This is not the first time the organisation would endorse a presidential candidate. There was a time it endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari, former President Goodluck Jonathan and even former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

“The handlers of Tinubu media should understand that after politics and the 2023 general election, the Yoruba race would continue and posterity would judge whatever anyone does.”

He charged those promoting animosity between Adebanjo and Fasoranti to refrain, saying “they should stop using emotional blackmail to pit the elders against one another. Tinubu should tell his people to focus more on issues and how to sell their party to Nigeria, rather than trying to destroy Afenifere. If APC is a brand as they claim, why are they now trying to take on the brand of Afenifere. They should allow peace reign in Afenifere.”

In another reaction, Pa Akin Oke, immediate past state chairman of Oyo APC, who is also one of the followers of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, leader of defunct Action Group (AG), said it was good that peace is gradually returning to Afenifere with the position taken by Fasoranti.

He, however, expressed reservation over the manner Chief Adebanjo endorsed Obi.

He noted that the issue is a minor one but for the fact that some people felt Adebanjo and or Afenifere leaders cannot take such a crucial decision to support Obi on behalf of the entire Yoruba people without due consultation.
MEANWHILE, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, yesterday, described as laughable and pathetic the reaction of the state chapter of APC to the purported endorsement of Tinubu by the governor, Seyi Makinde. The Oyo PDP said APC has further shown the world its pitiable condition as far as current political realities are concerned.

“By celebrating the purported endorsement, which amounts to a fluke, APC has shown itself as fickle-minded, whose thinking is far removed from state and national realities,” it said.

“The governor, who is not only leader of PDP in Oyo, but also the entire Southwest, did not at any fora endorse the candidature of Tinubu. For the sake of emphasis, Governor Makinde never endorsed Tinubu against his own party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

“What happened is that Senator Oloye Teslim Folarin and his hallucinating APC members tried to misrepresent the information by the deputy governor. This is the true state of things and we made bold to reiterate that Oyo State and PDP will not do anything politically that undermines the interest of the state and her people.

“We urge our people to ignore and discountenance the misinformation being peddled around by APC as false propaganda, which has been their hallmark since the creation of the party. Little wonder that the same APC government, which recently bestowed on ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, an award of excellence in public service, is the same party that rode to power on the strength of false propaganda, mischief and malicious campaign against the same man so honoured.”

THE Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has commended Fasoranti for endorsing Tinubu as his preferred presidential candidate. MURIC, in a statement by its director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, yesterday, said Fasoranti’s endorsement is capable of uniting the Yoruba people as Christians and Muslims will now rally behind the former Lagos governor.

“MURIC commends Pa Fasoranti for his sportsmanship and broadmindedness. His name will be engraved in letters of gold for ignoring the illogical, irrational and inexplicable choice of Pa Adebanjo, who declared support for Peter Obi,” MURIC’s statement read in part.

“The likely fallout of this development is a future payback by Yoruba Muslims who have shown the willingness to support a Christian candidate in future if their Christian counterparts vote for Tinubu, a Yoruba Muslim, in 2023.”

Also, Nigerians have been urged to have faith in Tinubu, saying he will not disappoint the country if he wins the election. The call was made by Senator Dayo Adeyeye, National Convener, South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA) during the commissioning of the Osun State secretariat of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign in Osogbo yesterday.

Oyetunde Ojo, who represented Adeyeye, described the APC presidential candidate as a man bereft of religious bigotry and someone who ensures that things are done as and when due.

Ojo who revealed that SWAGA started from Osun, also added that Asiwaju will be president for all Nigerians, not Yoruba alone.

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRosheed Adewale Akanbi, in his remark warned against betrayal. Speaking on behalf of other monarchs present at the event, Oba Akanbi urged all eligible voters to vote en masse for Tinubu.

His words: “We must all vote for Asiwaju Tinubu because he is our son.”

Oba Akanbi also maintained that the move for Tinubu to be president in 2023 is greater than the quest of the late Awolowo, adding that Awolowo’s prayers must be answered.

“Awolowo’s prayers must come to pass through Tinubu. This is not about political parties but about Yoruba. All Yoruba must vote for Tinubu for others to vote for him. All Yoruba are for Asiwaju and he will act as a bridge builder and he is marketable,” he stated.

https://guardian.ng/news/fasoranti-makes-u-turn-says-adebanjo-remains-afenifere-leader/

TheSameGuy:
How can Osu outcast like you be laying claim and telling us who truly is Afenifere Leader

Anyway get ready, Tomorrow is another sit at home or death in Alaigbo.
May it last long

An Omo ita like you can't tell an Ilesha prince about sit at home that doesn't exist in Ilesha. Get ready for my conoration soon.

You've always wish you were Yoruba but no, you can't be. You have HATE in your blood

Corridon:
An Omo ita like you can't tell an Ilesha prince about sit at home that doesn't exist in Ilesha. Get ready for my conoration soon.

Regional candidate contesting for the position of southwest president. Emilokan for southwest president.
We don't care whether you endorse obi or not. Sensible people will vote obi and with the Lords help he will get to aso vila and begin to change things in this country.

TheSameGuy:
You've always wish you were Yoruba but no, you can't be. You have HATE in your blood

Says a Mallam from Damaturu who have never been to my tribe Yoruba land.

”Obasanjo will take the budget to the house members for approval since Obasanjo was once the president”...


Fasoranti an ex leader against Adebanjo the current leader,I wonder who will superced who.

It's afternoon already, go and take another dose

Corridon:
Says a Mallam from Damaturu who have never been to my tribe Yoruba land.

Obingos only want to reap from where they did not sow. Afenifere is a yoruba socio cultural group and they can only support their own son. Thank you