Afenifere And The Yoruba Interest

 By Sola Ebiseni  

To start with, Afenifere is a sociopolitical and not sociocultural organisation, a tag those bereft of the knowledge of its history, objectives and modus operandi sometimes seem to identify it by. Among its founding fathers, Afenifere is a political party and its irrepressible Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, still so insist, notwithstanding their knowledge of the provisions of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution to the effect that “no association by whatever name called shall function as a political party unless (among other requirements) the names and addresses of its national officers are registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC”.

*Adebanjo 

Such is the degree of commitment to the ideals of the organisation which defines our discussion herein. Whatever your views, the undeniable fact is that Afenifere is not apolitical and the organisation has demonstrated that beyond all reasonable doubts. From its inception in 1951, Afenifere, the Yoruba explanation of the Action Group and its social welfare ideology, even during the heydays of military rule, has never been apologetic about its position in the politics and political development of Nigeria. In recent times, there has been controversy on what really is the position of Afenifere about Yoruba interest, bearing in mind its support for a President of South-East (Ndigbo) extraction in the face of a frontline Yoruba personality in the race.

Different opinions, some well-meaning, others mischievous (allowed in politics) have defined Yoruba interest in their own ways which they feel called upon to compel Afenifere to protect. These divergent views cut across the entire social strata of the Yoruba society and even beyond, from the youths, traditional rulers, the intelligentsia and surprisingly those who regard Afenifere as a spent force and irrelevant. In a country ruled by mutual suspicion amongst its entrenched ethnic nationalities, without agenda for national engagement the foreboding feeling of survival of the fittest is not unexpected.

It is in the above light that  many ignorantly see the Afenifere as a sociocultural organisation like the Egbé Omo Odùduwà which was established in 1945 and some of which members played pivotal roles in the formation of the Action Group, a political party known in the Yoruba parlance as Afenifere found in 1951. 

The difference between the Egbe and the Action Group (Afenifere) is in their respective membership and ultimate objective. Whereas, the membership of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa (Association of Oduduwa descendants) was restricted to the Yoruba, membership of AG was national. As a matter of fact, the limitations of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa in membership and objectives, accounted inexorably for the immediate mobilisation for the formation of the Action Group.

Awo became a lawyer in the United Kingdom in November 1946 and a year later in 1947, he published his first book, Path to Nigerian Freedom which Wikipedia describes as “the first systematic federalist manifesto by a Nigerian politician – advocated federalism as the only basis for equitable national integration and, as head of the Action Group he led, demands for a federal constitution, which was introduced in the 1954 Lyttleton Constitution, following primarily the model proposed by the Western Region delegation led by him.”

In quick succession, Awolowo who also was a strong member of the first pan-Nigerian nationalist organisation, the Nigerian Youth Movement, founded the Nigerian Tribune in 1949 for obvious nationalist and political agenda. Thus, while Egbe Omo Oduduwa existed as a Yoruba sociocultural organisation, Action Group (Afenifere) was and still a pan-Nigerian political machinery with unpretentious intent for power which it pursued and still pursues relentlessly. At its peak in the First Republic, Action Group (Afenifere) was the most nationalistic political party in Nigeria.

In addition to being the party in power in Western Region where it was predominant, it was the second largest party in the Federal Parliament which earned its President, Obafemi Awolowo, the status of the Opposition Leader. In the remaining Northern and Eastern Nigerian parliaments, Action Group was also the second preferred party where it was the official Opposition Party. The Action Group not only advocated federalism as the form of government most suitable for the multi-ethnic Nigerian state, the government formed by it in Western Region became the role model for the whole of Africa.

Other Nigerian nationalists and leaders who  initially were either opposed to federalism or ambivalent thereof, ultimately came to terms with its indispensability for our stability and progress. The relative progress of the country at the time borne out of the autonomy of the regions and the healthy competition amongst themselves is an eloquent testimony to the wisdom of the choice of federalism and the continued agitation for its true essence. 

It must be borne in mind that the Action Group (Afenifere) was not embraced by all Yoruba. As a matter of fact, several of the Yoruba leading lights either in the Nigerian Youths Movement or the exclusively Yoruba Egbe Omo Oduduwa, did not join Awolowo in the Action Group which was made up of Nigerians of all tribes some of whom were charged with Awolowo in the infamous treasonable felony trial.

After 13 years of military rule and the ban of political parties of the First Republic, the Action Group resurrected as the Unity Party of Nigeria during the Second Republic with the same social welfarist programmes of life more abundant, the meaning of which continues to pass as Afenifere in Yoruba words. Afenifere continued as the platform  for the propagation of the ideals of the Awolowo school of thought and the mobilisation of his disciples after the second ban on political activities at the fall of the Second Republic following the takeover of government by the military led by General Muhammad Buhari in 1983. Afenifere’s exploits in the nation’s political firmament included the mobilisation of other Nigerians to form the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, to fight the military for the restoration of democracy, including the actualisation of the mandate of Chief Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola, MKO, whose election on June 12, 1993 was annulled by the military under General Babangida.

The activities of NADECO forced Babangida out of power as he handed over to an Interim Government headed by the late Chief Earnest Sonekan which arrangement was torpedoed by General Abacha in November 1993 after 82 days. Abacha died June 18; MKO Abiola followed suit on July 7, less than three weeks after. The succeeding government of General Abdusalami Abubakar hurriedly packaged a transition programme for a civilian government that would take over on May 29, 1999.

The Nigerian political elite felt that for the peace of the federation the Yoruba needed to be placated for the death of Abiola which invariably led to the two parties of the PDP and AD/APP alliance both fielding former military head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief  Olu Falae, as their respective presidential candidates. The Afenifere  formed and dominated the Alliance for Democracy which party won the gubernatorial election in the six South-West states, including virtually all the parliamentary seats.

Before continuing this discourse next week, let us leave our readers with the views of some of our intelligentsia on what Yoruba interest is and what Afenifere should do. In his treatise but diatribe titled: “Is Afenifere the Nigeria’s Father Christmas?” Leye Igbabo, my highly cerebral Aburo and Director of Publicity, Ondo State chapter of the PDP, having lambasted the Afenifere for supporting a non-Yoruba presidential candidate had this to say: “Although, in the true sense, if the presidency of Nigeria was to come back to Southern Nigeria as widely canvassed, I personally agree that it was only fair, just and reasonable to allow the South-East take the shot at the presidency.

This is because the South-West and South-South had taken their own shots between 1999 and 2007, and 2010 and 2015 respectively. Nonetheless, the point here is that it is not in the best interest of Yoruba nation for Afenifere, a Pan Yoruba organisation to be rooting for a presidential candidate of a South-East extraction all in a bit to be seen as being fair, just or reasonable! 

Since politics is largely driven by interest, if anything, it is therefore the interest of Yoruba nation that Afenifere must defend and promote notwithstanding whether such stand is seen as fair or just or reasonable. And if one may ask: Where is the place of fairness, equity and justice in Nigeria’s political space?”  Nigeria, we hail thee!

*Ebiseni is the Secretary General, Afenifere and South West Coordinator, OBIDATTI Campaigns Organisation.