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  • Features
  • Updated: November 01, 2022

2023: A Closer Look At Afenifere's 'Endorsement' Of Tinubu, Obi

2023: A Closer Look At Afenifere's 'Endorsement' Of Tinubu,

Peter Obi of Labour Party

The media went agog recently when Yoruba organisation Afenifere "endorsed" the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi as against Bola Tinubu, another presidential candidate from the region. Now that the leader of the group has come out to say that the group never endorsed the Labour Party candidate, what should Nigerians believe?

Recently, the group's leader Chief Ayo Adebanjo, who reports said he was in the acting capacity of the group, endorsed Peter Obi and maintained that presidential powers are to go to the Southeastern part of Nigeria if the country wants to display equity and fairness.

On the contrary, another leader of the Pan Yoruba group, Pa Reuben Fasoranti enunciated that he remains the group’s leader and has not endorsed the Labour Party candidate.

He said this during the APC presidential candidate’s visit to the chieftain in his home at Akure, Ondo state.

According to Pa Fasoranti, the organisation is fanning their embers behind the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and not Peter Obi, as Ayo Adebanjo earlier posited.

Afenifere in severe crisis

Political observers have assumed that Ayo Adebanjo’s endorsement was the corporate decision of the group.

It is, however, shocking that the endorsement does not represent the collective interest of the socio-cultural organisation.

However, the essence of Afenifere is debatable if it cannot make a corporate pronouncement that will be binding on all its members.

Or one could even agree that there are yawning disagreements and divisions among the leadership of the group.

The clash

Shortly after Adebanjo backed Obi, Pa Fasoranti threw his weight behind Tinubu’s 2023 bid and blessed him.

Why does a socio-cultural group have to have two official positions?

The fact that the organisation has different official positions makes a mockery of the two endorsements.

Leadership tussle within the organisation

Fasoranti said he was still the leader of the group, claiming that his endorsement was authentic.

“Adebanjo does not have the capacity to 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,” Fasoranti told journalists.

The fact

Without a doubt, Afenifere has become one of the most controversial organisations dealing badly with leadership tussle and authenticity.

Both endorsements should worry both presidential candidates. 

Peter Obi should not count on Ayo Adebanjo’s validation because it has been claimed that he is just a leader in an acting capacity.

Besides, Adebanjo has not come out to say he is the substantive leader of the group.

Similarly, former presidential candidate and another leader of the group, Chief Olu Falae was quick to invalidate Ayo Adebanjo’s pronouncement, saying that Peter Obi’s endorsement was not Afenifere’s endorsement.

Bola Tinubu should not be over the moon because of his new endorsement by the social-cultural group.

The organisation has never been uniform in any of its interests since 2003.

The factions in the group are bigger than the number of political parties we have in the country, judging by what is playing out as we speak.

Was Afenifere’s endorsement of Peter Obi authentic?

Afenifere's endorsement of Obi is not authentic because it does not represent the collective and corporate standpoint of Afenifere.

Other chieftains of the group have come out to say they were not consulted before the pronouncement. 

There was also no dialogue between the chieftains of the group before the validation. 

Conclusion

None of the endorsements is authentic because of the varying discrepancies that come with them. 

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