Afenifere chairman Ayo Adebanjo restates that they are fully behind Peter Obi's candidacy

ACTING chairman of pan-Yoruba cultural group Afenifere Pa Ayo Adebanjo has denied claims that the body has endorsed the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

In February next year, Nigeria goes to the polls to elect a new president, with the ruling APC selecting former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Tinubu as its candidate and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) going for former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi and ex-Kano State governor Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso are the candidates of the Labour Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) respectively.

On Sunday, former Afenifere leader Pa Reuben Fasoranti and several other southwest stalwarts endorsed Asiwaju Tinubu. He was endorsed at a meeting which took place at Pa Fasoranti’s residence in Akure, the Ondo State capital, although Pa Adebanjo and the general secretary Chief Sola Ebiseni, were absent from the meeting.

Reacting to the development, Dr Daniel Bwala, the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organisation spokesman, said the absence of Pa Adebanjo and others was an indication that the endorsement was faulty. He also faulted the Afenifere leaders for inviting only Asiwaju Tinubu among all other presidential candidates to an event where they could have hosted frontline candidates and listened to their plans for the country.

Shedding light on the development, Pa Adebanjo, insisted that the socio-political group has not endorsed anyone yet, Speaking during an interview on Channels Television yesterday, Pa Adebanjo also faulted Asiwaju Tinubu’s visit to Reuben Fasoranti, where he was pictured bowing his head to receive prayers.

Several weeks ago, Pa Adebanjo, endorsed Governor Obi as the preferred presidential candidate of Afenifere. In March 2021, Pa Fasoranti had handed over the leadership of Afenifere to Pa Adebanjo due to old age.

Pa Adebanjo said: “Pa Fasoranti phoned me on Friday that Tinubu had phoned him that he wanted to come and that he wanted to say he should not come but I said, no, don’t do that, you are an elder statesman, if he wants to see you, why not. Then he said it is a sort of conspiracy among people who want to divide Afenifere.”

“I warned Pa Fasoranti not to allow himself to be put into this mess. I can deal with all of them who were there. They weren’t there when we were doing all these things but I don’t want any diversion at this time. Afenifere is for Obi, hook, line and sinker.”