FEBRUARY 23, 2019 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
URGENT MESSAGE TO ALL YORUBA-ITSEKIRI AND PEOPLES ACROSS YORUBALAND
· The Presidential election comes up on February 23. No doubt there are challenges. Many of these problems are historical. We had a government in place for 16 years. The country lay prostrate. The Lagos-Ibadan Express way abandoned; Not even the way to the home town of a former President of Nigeria of Yoruba extraction was tarred;
· In our very eyes, Chief Bola Ige, Deputy Leader of Yoruba Nation was killed. Justice Atinuke Ige infact lost her life due to the trauma of the loss of her husband and lack of justice for a Justice Minister. Dr Ayo Daramola, a consultant to the World Bank was killed. In one day, 28 members of O’odua Peoples Congress, (OPC) were killed in cold blood at Mushin in 2001. We may forgive, but we will never FORGET. Many members of Yoruba self-determination groups were maimed, imprisoned and in fact in 2004, a “Shoot-at-Sight” order was launched against members of the self-determination groups. It was a period of brimstones, shrieks and depression. No fewer than 1000 members were murdered.

· During this period, the commanding height of Nigerian economy was sold to friends and cronies, attempts were made to destroy Lagos through seizure of the monthly allocation, rogue states and their chief actors were sought and imposed on Yoruba people. Elections became a bazaar. Violence and brigandage were launched and sustained. Flying and creeping things took flight. Between 1999 and 2014, from our records, no fewer than 5000 Yoruba people were killed in election related violence. The locust came, gave us gale of bitter rain, flaming fire and they rebelled against the words of God. A main actor during this moment of blood, anguish and terror is asking for Yoruba votes again with all sorts of slanderous and false claims. Their corrupt and inept govt gave us few rich men, who fed out our misery, but left millions of our people poor, angry, desperate, scorched, desolate and troubled.

· Since 2014, there is no doubt that the movement is slow, but we are not moving backwards. Railways are being built from Lagos-Ibadan, Abeokuta, for the first time traversing Ekiti and Ondo States. Corruption is being fought, though not perfectly, but at least better than the inactivity and deceit of the past.

· We have made demands for restructuring. The APC has restructuring in its manifesto, so the party can be held responsible on a documented expectation. Yoruba should not hang her hope on castles built in the sky where loose promises of restructuring are being made in the SW but a complete negation of restructuring comes forth from their caustic lips when they are in the North. This is treacherous but in line with their past and present.
WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
v The system is not perfect, but within the limitations, we have a choice to make a difference. The South West, home to indigenous Yoruba people have a total voters’ registration of 18miilion people. There is another huge number of Yoruba population in the North, South-South East and North Central. This is a show of strength. It will be a betrayal of our collective interest as Yoruba if we fail to come out and vote.
RESOLUTION
ü We the representatives of 45 Pan Yoruba/Itsekiri groups spread across the length and breadth of indigenous Yoruba territories; propelled by the need to protect our values, our heritage and the political traditions our forebears and the generations have held in high esteem;
ü Moved by the political and economic circumstances of the past, present and that of the future; after an extensive consultation with our members and Yoruba, farmers, artisans, workers, haves and have nots; people in the valleys, mountains, villages and homestead; toiling market women, children, the old and the young;
ü Driven by the need to choose what is better in our circumstance, hereby take this firm decision that on Saturday, February 23 we FULLY support Vice President ‘Yemi Osinbajo, a Professor of Law, who has over the years built a credible reputation for himself, leading a clergy life of piety, truth, trust and humanitarian affection and based on our exhaustive deliberations with him which began in the past six months on what he has in stock of the Yoruba nation and peoples;
ü Also convinced that he offers hope in place of despair and commitment to many of the political values that are crucial to the survival of Yoruba peoples across the world;

CLARION CALL
ü Hereby direct the millions of our members, call on all Yoruba people spread across the Yoruba speaking states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti,Kwara, Kogi and Delta to come out in large numbers to vote for President Mohammadu Buhari and his VP, Prof Yemi Osinbajo who is one of our own come February 23.The mountains shall depart and the hills removed.

OUR WARNING

· The opposition is already preparing the minds of Nigerians for resistance knowing fully its antics and perfidious plots are at wits end. Predictably, they will reject the results, call for boycotts and violence iF they lose. We warn strongly that the Yoruba-Itsekiti self-determination groups across Yoruba land are prepared to resist rigging. We are fully prepared and determined to RESIST WITH ALL OUR STRENGHT any attempt by reactionary elements to foment post-election crisis and scuttle the democratic process. A stich in time saves nine.
WE THANK YORUBA PEOPLE AT HOME AND ABROAD FOR THEIR UNDERSTANDING AT THIS CRITICAL MOMENT OF OUR HISTORY--OODUA A GBE WA O---ASE