There Is An Attempt To Split Afenifere Over Tinubu- Ayo Adebanjo

Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the leader of the pan-Yoruba group Afenifere, has raised the alarm of an alleged attempt to split the organization ahead of the 2023 general election.
He stated this on the backdrop of the endorsement of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the election, Bola Tinubu by a former group leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti weeks after he had announced Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party as their choice.
He also faulted allegations that he did not consult Fasoranti and other leaders of Afenifere before endorsing Obi, saying he didn’t have to consult the former leader before Afenifere endorsed the Labour Party (LP) candidate.

He said the comments trailing the visit of Tinubu to Fasoranti are an attempt to divide the group, adding that all those who attended are APC members in Afenifere.
He stated this while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He said, “I do not have to consult Fasoranti before Afenifere endorsed Peter Obi.”
He said he told Fasoranti that they were out to cause division and that the former leader should stay away from them.
“There is nothing going on other than an attempt to split Afenifere to which I will not be a party,” he said on Monday.

“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’,” the Afenifere chieftain added. “All we want now is an election on issues.”

He said Pa Fasoranti had called to inform him about Tinubu’s planned visit. He said the former Afenifere leader was initially not open to receiving the APC candidate but he persuaded him to do so.
“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?”

As far as he is concerned, 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.