Pan Yoruba organisation, Afenifere, has condemned last Saturday’s attack on voters in Ago Palace way, Lagos, while voting in the presidential and National Assembly election was ongoing.

In a statement signed by its
spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin, the organisation described the violence unleashed on voters and officials of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Ago Palace Way and other areas dominated by the Igbo as babaric and unfortunate.

During Saturday’s presidential election, thugs suspected to be members of the All ProgressivesCongress (APC) and Oouda People’s Congress (OPC) were seen in company with one of the leaders of the National Union of Road Transport
Workers(NURTW) disrupting the voting process, snatching ballot boxes and burning ballot papers in full view of voters.

As early as 9am on Saturday
morning, there was massive
voter turnout in Ago, Amuwo Odofin, Festac, Oke-Afa and its environs. But between 10am and 11am, thugs begun arriving and from one polling unit to the
other, burning ballot papers and ordering voters, most of whom were of Igbo extraction to leave the polling units or face deportation.

Reacting to the crisis, Afenifere, appealed for calm, while accusing those it described as political merchants for being responsible for the violence that broke out.

“We condemn in the strongest terms, the political violence visited on Nigerians of Igbo extraction in Lagos during Saturday’s presidential elections. Dirty political merchants and their band of thugs apart from engineering political disenfranchisement of the Igbo, went ahead to visit
violence on them and burning their votes en masse.

“The political vandals they used were said to have been calling themselves OPC but our checks with the genuine leaders of the group have shown that the deranged elements had no affiliation with the OPC known by Afenifere.

“We frown seriously at the
failure of the security agencies to give adequate cover to Ndigbo in the affected communities as these thugs went berserk carrying out the instructions of their sinking political godfathers.

“We want to assure our Igbo
brothers and sisters that the
bond of friendship the Afenifere and Ohanaeze Ndigbo have built particularly under the dynamic leadership of Chief John Nwodo remains strong and will not be broken by the nefarious activities of a few strange children in our midst.

“We are already in discussions with the Igbo leadership on the matter and we appeal for calm
as these political vandals are
only engaged in death kicks. We call on the security agencies to give adequate security covers to the Igbo in subsequent elections as we encourage them not to succumb to intimidation and
harassment by political
vampires.

“Our historical connectivity with Ndigbo will survive the
Saturday madness and the
perpetrators will be shamed
eternally,” Odumakin said.

In a related development, the leadership of the OPC, has
denied that one of the thugs
named Demola, who was
caught burning ballot papers
and was beaten by voters but was later rushed to the hospital by Ago residents, is a member of the organisation.

Publicity Secretary of the OPC, Yinka Oguntimehin, said the man killed by the mob yesterday at Okota, Lagos, was not a member of the Aare Gani Adams – led members of the OPC.

Oguntimehin said: “The report at our disposal indicates that a member of the late Faseun’s group was beaten by an irate
mob, following an attempt by some thugs to disrupt election process at the Okota area of Lagos state.

“I need to say it clearly that
Ademola is not a member of our group. Ours is a group of
professionals, and well educated members. We have our structure across the country, and everybody can attest to the fact that the Aare Gani Adams-led members of the OPC are not
vagabonds or thugs.”

https://www.sunnewsonline.com/lagos-crisis-afenifere-condemns-attack-on-igbo/

God bless afenifere. Awon agba ilu ti kii je kilu o baje. Tinubu and his boys dont care if lagos goes in flames but God pass dem. I rep authentic and unbiased yoruba

awelekiti:
God bless afenifere. Awon agba ilu ti kii je kilu o baje. Tinubu and his boys dont care if lagos goes in flames but God pass dem. I rep authentic and unbiased yoruba

May God bless you and your family for shunning violence. I'm confident that they're lots of yorubas like you who don't want to be used as tools to push the ambitions of selfish politicians. We might not agree politically but we are humans. That is all that matters.

I miss Abraham Adesanya and Bola Ige...

Too bad!

Walahi we Yoruba's are just too mature. We will not condescend.. while others have been chest beating trying to stir up and add fuel to a non existing fire. God bless Afenifere and the OPC.

Good one from afenifere
The evil seed of discord being sowed by desperate politicians amongst the igbo and Yoruba must fail. We all need each other

i never expected this from yoruba,too bad,i pray God heals the land,all hands must be on the deck to retire tinubu just like saraki and akpabio are currently facing retirement

highcollide:
May God bless you and your family for shunning violence. I'm confident that they're lots of yorubas like you who don't want to be used as tools to push the ambitions of selfish politicians. We might not agree politically but we are humans. That is all that matters.

You will do well to admonish your Igbo kinsmen on Facebook and radio Biafra. Those who are doing all within their reach to ignite an ethnic war..the things I have seen are inciting and blasphemous. No one would have gone violent on you people much more for the APC.what for but your kinsmen have been stirring the hornet's nest. Please beg them. we know they are veeeryy brave, tell them to stop.

Elders of the land...

This is very impressive from Afanifere, it shows there are still elders full of wisdom and worthy of emulation by the younger generations. Ability to speak the truth and condemn your own when he is clearly in the wrong is an attribute of a matured and highly educated person. Kudos and forget about all the noise here on nairaland, nothing will change the friendship and brotherhood between Igbos and Yorubas because they are two progressive and peace loving tribes with lots of educated and highly enlightened Nigerians

Omoluabi16:
Walahi we Yoruba's are just too mature. We will not condescend.. while others have been chest beating trying to stir up and add fuel to a non existing fire. God bless Afenifere and the OPC.

Chest beating gini. Who caused the offence.
Lesson learnt. Every Nigerian has a right to vote wherever in Nigeria.

magoo10:
Good one from afenifere
The evil seed of discord being sowed by desperate politicians amongst the igbo and Yoruba must fail. We all need each other

But you were encouraging your kinsmen to kill the guy

Auladimeji:
But you were encouraging your kinsmen to kill the guy

you must be referring to the wrong person
Liar

Omoluabi16:
You will do well to admonish your Igbo kinsmen on Facebook and radio Biafra. Those who are doing all within their reach to ignite an ethnic war..the things I have seen are inciting and blasphemous. No one would have gone violent on you people much more for the APC.what for but your kinsmen have been stirring the hornet's nest. Please beg them. we know they are veeeryy brave, tell them to stop.

OPC threatened a reprisal, IPOB were only flying propaganda to mobilize ethnic support for their brothers in Lagos

But you guys went overboard with that madness at Okota, why disenfranchising people?

nwanyionitsha:
Chest beating gini. Who caused the offence.
Lesson learnt. Every Nigerian has a right to vote wherever in Nigeria.

Absolutely every Nigerian's right should be respected. But the social media antics of your kinsmen has been irritating. The barrage of taunts to the Yoruba's can ignite an ethnic war. This matter is done and dusted but your people won't let go, they have been inciting.

magoo10:
you must be referring to the wrong person

I knew you will deny it before I quoted you

Afenifere... I am a yoruba and i will not hide my mouth

Tinubu are his thugs are responsible for the disenfranchisement of igbo voters at isolo and surulere. Lets call a spade a spade for ones. Go to Ikoyi and see how this thugs crowd both sanwo-olus office and Tinubu's house seeking to get handouts that can't last them till the next day.

Omoluabi16:
Absolutely every Nigerian's right should be respected. But the social media antics of your kinsmen has been irritating. The barrage of taunts to the Yoruba's can ignite an ethnic war. This matter is done and dusted but your people won't let go, they have been inciting.

Its ok. Hopefully things will get better.

SouthEastFacts:

OPC threatened a reprisal, IPOB were only flying propaganda to mobilize ethnic support for their brothers in Lagos

But you guys went overboard with that madness at Okota, why disenfranchising people?

which guys? don't lump us together with those thugs. Opc have just denounced him, every Yoruba here and on SM don't give a damn about them. But can you justify this propaganda? This is targeted, IPob doing what they love best which is rile people up.Dis matter don end but you people won't stop. The earlier you realised the Yoruba's are not your problem the better. The Yoruba's are PDP as much as APC. using the misdeed of the APC to attack is whole race is foolishness. I trust you people not to denounce these idiots.Instead you dash them likes and shares.

Auladimeji:
I knew you will deny it before I quoted you

since you are sure why not paste the quote where I made the statement or you just remain silent.

Auladimeji:
I knew you will deny it before I quoted you

you will fail woefully if you try to attach me to tribalism

Auladimeji:
I knew you will deny it before I quoted you

liar let me help you with my post

Omoluabi16:
You will do well to admonish your Igbo kinsmen on Facebook and radio Biafra. Those who are doing all within their reach to ignite an ethnic war..the things I have seen are inciting and blasphemous. No one would have gone violent on you people much more for the APC.what for but your kinsmen have been stirring the hornet's nest. Please beg them. we know they are veeeryy brave, tell them to stop.

my people are just emotional because of what they expect of your people. They expect your people to join hands and pull out of this union. We have lived in your land since the inception of this union and we've never for once attempted to attack each other. Please ignore them. They are not happy with nigeria. I'm sure you have good Igbo people offline that you relate with and I'm sure you understand that there are good and bad people everywhere irrespective of tribes and that the actions of few people don't represent a tribe. Please bear with us and forgive our utterances. We are not happy with nigeria.

Omoluabi16:
which guys? don't lump us together with those thugs. Opc have just denounced him, every Yoruba here and on SM don't give a damn about them. But can you justify this propaganda? This is targeted, IPob doing what they love best which is rile people up.Dis matter don end but you people won't stop. The earlier you realised the Yoruba's are not your problem the better. The Yoruba's are PDP as much as APC. using the misdeed of the APC to attack is whole race is foolishness. I trust you people not to denounce these idiots.Instead you dash them likes and shares.

Yorubas drew the first blood, Igbos defended themselves and Demola was a casualty of that self-defence.

Anyway, don't mind IPOB they won't do anything unless the second punch was thrown. They believe they are the armies of Ndi Igbo but they are not. Their propaganda will die down soon.

Anyway, I love the way they rally ethnic support for anything anti-Igbo. We are not disbanding them yet, they keep our Igbo leaders on their toe.