Leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization (Afenifere), Pa Reuben Fasoranti has taken over the meeting of the group from its acting leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo.
This followed the visit by the All Progressives Congress, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu to a Tinubu had visited Pa Fasoranti in Akure, weekend, where the former Lagos State governor was endorsed.
Recall that in March 2021, Pa Fasoranti stepped down as Afenifere leader, citing old age.
He also named the deputy leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, as the acting national leader of the group, while the former financial secretary, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, the Alaago of Kajola Ago in Atakumosa East Council Area, Ilesa, Osun State, was named the group’s deputy leader.
“The development became necessary as the group needs, more than ever before, to have an improved organisation with a more effective approach to combat the monstrous invasion of our culture and pride as a people.
“Only a more alike and active leadership can achieve this. At 95 I am hardly able to provide such and so it is time for me to step aside,”Fasoranti had said
“At this junction, I am proud to announce Chief Ayo Adebanjo, a politician of the Awolowo school of thought, as Acting leader of Afenifere and Oba Oladipo Olaitan, the Alaago of Kajola Ago in Atakumosa East Local Government Area, as the Deputy Leader.”
Reacting to the visit of Tibubu, Adebanjo while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday alleged that the visit was a plan to split the group.
“There’s nothing going on other than to split Afenifere to which I will not be a party. It is a sort of conspiracy among those who want to see Afenifere divided. They have been on this plan for over a month ago and my members came to me to alert me about it and I said, ‘Don’t talk about it. It would be a diversion. All we want now is an election on issues,” Adebanjo had said
“I will tell you the story and I won’t go further,” he said. “Pa Fasoranti phoned me on Friday that Tinubu had phoned him and that he wanted to come and see him and he wanted to say no. I said no, don’t do that, you are an elder statesman. If he wanted to see you, why not?”
He further explained that, Obi’s endorsement is based on the principles of equity as the South-East has not produced a president since the return of democracy in 1999. Since the South-West and South-South have produced the president, he said it is the turn of the South-East.
“South-South has had its own and I said it is remaining the South-East,” he noted
“I will continue to repeat that emphatically that Afenifere is the Yoruba interpretation for the Action Group led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who is the champion of federalism in Nigeria.
Asked if he consulted Fasoranti before endorsing Obi, Adebanjo said he doesn’t have to consult the elder statesman, adding that he had handed over the leadership of the group to him over a year ago.
“I don’t have to consult him. He handed over the group to me over a year ago. That is not the way we do it in the Action Group and he knows it.
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“When he phoned me, I told him that these people want to cause dissension and that he should get out of it. I know all of them.
“I would like you to examine all of them who you called Afenifere, ask them when last did they attend Afenifere meeting and look at all the personnel there. They are the Yoruba leaders in APC.”
“From what he told me and what I understood, it cannot be an endorsement because I told him to receive him as a citizen,” he added.
“I would like you to ask Pa Fasoranti if he is opposed to the stance of Afenifere. If he says, yes, I’m okay.
“The people in Afenifere, the executives and all that, we know where we are. Those who have left Afenifere, who are jealous of the solidarity there now and who want to cause dissension, that are bringing him (Tinubu)
“I warned Pa Fasoranti not to allow himself to be put into this mess. They are not just coming to greet you, they are coming to ask for your blessings. They were not there when we were doing all these things. But I don’t want any diversion at this time. Afenifere is for Obi.”
But reacting to the claim by Adebabno in an interview, Fasoranti said: “I am still the leader of Afenifere. Afenifere has not endorsed Obi, we are endorsing Jagaban (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) for the presidency.
“You can see the trend, the approval and the acceptability. You could see what happened when Tinubu came to meet me in Akure. The media carried the whole thing.
“Adebanjo cannot warn me not to welcome Tinubu. Can he do that successfully?
“What happened was that Adebanjo took a stand and I took a stand. I didn’t call him and he didn’t call me. We never spoke about the visit.
“As you can see, Jagaban is accepted and we approve of him. Obi has no stand in our mind at all.”
When he was asked whether the venue of Afenifere meeting, will hold in Akure, the elder statesman pointedly said Yes.
“Yes. The best thing for now is to continue holding our meeting here in Akure.”
He stated the reason behind the changing of venue of the meeting to Ogbo in Ogun State.
He said, “The reason why the meeting was shifted from here was as a result of misunderstanding, the interpretation and the conception of people that I can no longer comprehend because of my age.
“But, when I heard that, I reacted and the person who said that regretted saying so.
“As soon as the Secretary and I including other leaders put our heads together, we will have our meeting here in Akure.
“Most of the leaders have said we can no longer have our meeting in Ogbo but here in Akure,” he added