Afenifere, the Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group, has thrown its weight behind the election results said to have favoured Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party (LP).
It observed that the Presidential election held on February 25, 2023 was characterised by all forms of primitive manipulations and non-compliance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the group, the results of the lawful votes at the Presidential election available to them through credible sources confirm that Peter Obi won the said election.
Afenifere asserted that “for equity, fairness, national cohesion and peaceful corporate existence, the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a person of its southern part and specifically the South-East.”
It condemned “in the strongest terms, the campaigns of calumny and acts of ethnic violence deployed by some politicians and their hired criminal gangs in several parts of the federation during the gubernatorial election particularly Lagos State where the election was made to appear like an inter-ethnic war between the Yoruba and Igbo which greatly led to voters’ suppression and other forms of deliberate disenfranchisement through brigandage.”
The group expressed its “belief in the judiciary as an integral part of the democratic process and expect that it proves itself in the election litigations now pending before it without fear or favour and in accordance with the judicial oaths of its members, in covenant with the Nigerian people.”
Afenifere, therefore, called on the “President and Government of Nigeria to restore the patriotic confidence and hope of the Nigerian people in the continued corporate existence of the federation which will guarantee their safety throughout Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the pan Yoruba group has sacked two of its national officers, the National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi and the National Organising Committee, Abagun Kole Omololu.
The duo were sacked for issuing an unauthorised statement in Afenifere’s name and constant denigration of the organisation.
Recall that Abagun Omololu recently issued a statement warning the Chairman of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Council of Elders, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, to stop insulting the Yoruba race.
This was as Fani-Kayode, the former Aviation minister taking to his Twitter handle, Fani-Kayode wrote: “The fact that our revered leader and one of the fathers of our nation, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, can sit there and say nothing when Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who I have always respected, describes the entire Yoruba race as “rascals” that the Igbo “will DEAL with” tells me that the Rumour that he is NOT a fully-fledged Yoruba man and that his father was an Igbo may well be true.
“Whatever the case, this is not the OBJ I once knew, loved, defended, and worked so hard for. Something has gone wrong. No one could have made a statement against ANY tribe in the presence of the old OBJ that we all knew and respected and got away with it.”
But, in a communiqué issued and signed by its leader, Ayo Adebanjo and the Secretary-General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, after the groups monthly General Meeting, held at the residence of its Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo at Isanya Ogbo, Ogun State, Afenifere denied authorising any statement against Iwuanyanwu.
The group said: “It received a message credited to Chief Emmanuel Iwunayanwu in a viral video alleging indictment of the Yoruba as political rascals on account of ethnic violence deployed by politicians of the ruling party in Lagos State.
“On the analysis of the video and information at the disposal of Afenifere by people at the Anambra State gathering, we are convinced that Chief Iwunayanwu rightly asserted that the Yoruba and Igbo were not at war and truly condemned the shenanigans of some political rascals.
“Flowing from the above, Afenifere states that it never issued any statement and dissociates the organisation from any such statement against Chief Iwuanyanwu.
“Observed the uncouth activities and unauthorised statements in its name and to the constant denigration of the organisation, by Jare Ajayi, the National Publicity Secretary and Abagun Kole Omololu the National Organising Committee.
“After due consideration of the unending embarrassing conduct of the two officers, the Meeting resolved that they be and are hereby removed immediately from their respective offices and their membership be suspended sine die pending further decisions after their appearance before and recommendations by the Disciplinary Committee.
‘‘We restate our position that in accordance with the hallowed Yoruba culture of civilised conduct, Afenifere assures all person resident in Yorubaland, indigenes and non-indigenes, of protection in the conduct of their lawful duties and thus warn all threats mongers and merchants of violence to desist there from.”
