Tinubu has become an unabashed
chauvinist. It’s a hard watch. It doesn’t bode well for national unity.
Tinubu’s critical appointments have become the most lopsided in the history of
this country.
*Tinubu
A Yoruba is the police Inspector General. A Yoruba
is the EFCC Chairman. A Yoruba is the Head of the DSS. A Yoruba is the Attorney
General. A Yoruba is the Chief Justice of the Federation. And Tinubu, a Yoruba,
is the President and overseer of all instruments of coercion. The entire
criminal justice system is in the hands of one ethnic group.
The Communique
Issued At The End Of The Monthly Meeting Of The Afenifere Held At The Residence
Of Our Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo At Isanya Ogbo Ogun State On Tuesday 8Th Day
Of August 2023
1.00 Preamble
The
Afenifere held its regular monthly Meeting today, 8thday of August 2023, at the Isanya Ogbo Ogun State,
country home of our Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo who
presided over the Meeting which was attended by delegates from the member
states of the Organisation.
After
intensive deliberations on the state of the Nigerian Federation, the Meeting
observed and Resolved as follows:
From the wisdom-pool of ancient
Yoruba philosophy is the eternal word of admonition that “a ò rí irú eléyi ri, a fi nderu ba olórò ni”, which may simply
translate that no occurrence no matter how bizarre it may seem or exaggerated
to frighten a victim can be deemed as never seen or happened before. In the
similar words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: “What has been
will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under
the sun”.
*Adebanjo
In all occurrences in our land,
after a deep introspection rooted in humanity in general and more particularly
delineated by the history of our country and its unforgettable heroes, I have,
like Balam, chosen to live by and for the truth that I may die the death of the
righteous and my end might like his be.
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.
There are many still in shock
about February 25th and March 18 elections. This is understandable. In the week before the 20th of
February it appeared the Obidient movement had pulled off a miracle and already
made good of the first part of the first promise of the Obi/Datti manifesto: To
unite and secure Nigeria.
From Sokoto to Sagbama, Lagos to
the lungus of Borno the youth of Nigeria were gyrating to the same beat of the
president we need. Were we finally close to the words of our first national
anthem, “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand”.
To start with, I belong to the
OBIDATTI Movement with undying conviction that a new Nigeria is possible and
that the combination of Peter Gregory Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed is the
best for its realisation. My conviction is also anchored on the fact that it is
the turn of Southern Nigeria and specifically the South-East to produce the
next President of Nigeria after the eight years of President Buhari from the
North as a guarantee for equity and the imperative peace of the federation.
Nigerian youths, in spite of the
INEC shenanigans, remain the heroes of the on-going electioneering processes.
From the outset, they were unpretentious about their interests. They resolved
to break away from the evil that has befallen Nigerians, particularly in the
last eight years in all aspects of life and more worrisome, the issue of
insecurity which places our country in the category of failed states.
After several years
of trials with the democratic order without significant progress in all indices
of development, Nigeria is yet at another trajectory. Another general election
is around the corner. And the kind of leadership choices the electorate makes
will determine whether the country will mark a sharp departure from its sordid
past or continue with a dismal and decadent order that is sliding to the brink.
*Peter Obi mobbed by admirers in Delta State
Though there appears
a wide gamut of consensus that the coming elections yet provide a defining opportunity
for this country to get its acts right, those who hitherto profited from the
old order seem not keen in having that be.
Before
the emergence of the presidential candidates of the political parties, issues
of competence in grappling with the worsening economic situation and power
rotation had dominated political discourse.
Our presence at
the momentous OBIDATTI rally in Ibadan last Wednesday, November 21, was the
ultimate evidence that we have boarded the people’s train with Peter Obi and
Datti Ahmed for the redemption of our country.
*Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed
To those who could not see beyond the conventional and are
irredeemably fixated on the search for structures that have only held our
nation and people hostage, let them know that the Obidient phenomenon is not a
joke they thought would soon frizzle out.
A brother and learned colleague, out of sheer love, described
our move, after my initial television interviews justifying the Afenifere’s
endorsement of the ObiDatti ticket, as a descent to political Golgotha. We are
quick to remind him that the way to redemption is paved with torns and a
burdensome cross that must be borne at Golgotha, which Nigeria must experience,
willy nilly.
Perhaps, no socio-political plank in Nigeria has impinged on our
consciousness or has excited our admiration for the values of dedication to
cherished ideals and goals more than Afenifere – the pan-Yoruba socio-political
platform. In a society where shifting compromises and mutually-conflicting
philosophies are lumped together just to score some cheap debating or political
point, Afenifere has stood out as a genuine re-creation of a sincere search for
solution to the myriad of problems besetting Nigeria.
*Pa Adebanjo
Founded in 1951 as an
open window for brandishing the proud bearing and venting the considered
expression of the people of its constituency, its enduring nature contrasts
starkly with a general foreground of aborted, still-born or short-lived
organisations.
For
70 years on, Afenifere has adhered firmly to her foundational strategy in
precise observation, discipline and clarity of vision. She has thereby
positioned herself as the ruling socio-political ethic in Yorubaland – its
primary constituency. Other groups espousing similar or identical values like
her are dimly outlined against the towering stature of Afenifere.
“Standing on the foundation
emplaced by the current [Buhari] administration, we shall build a Nigeria…”– Renewed Hope 2023: Action Plan For A Better Nigeria, p 3.
Buhari and Tinubu
Whenever there is a document promising to make Nigeria a better
place, I am ready to get it; read it; analyse it and publish my findings. I now
have a copy of what might be regarded as the Tinubu/Shettima/APC Manifesto for
the 2023 Presidential Election. The full analysis is almost finished; but, it
is too long for this column. So, the reader should not expect the details here.
I might add in passing that I also intend to obtain; read and analyse every
manifesto published – providing the owners arrange for me to get them. “Men
make history; but, not just as they please” – Karl Marx, 1818-1883.
That said; we now turn to the matter on hand. Let me start my
stating that Asiwaju Tinubu has my sympathies. Those of us who were intimately
involved in the struggle for the actualisation of the late Chief MKO Abiola’s
mandate from 1993 till 1998, when the man died, can never forget his
contributions. But, for his sagacity and street wisdom, when former President
Olusegun Obasanjo deceived the leaders of Afenifere, and the Alliance for
Democracy, AD, decided not to field a presidential candidate in 2003, the
entire South-West would have been captured by the PDP.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of All Progressives
Congress, APC, always has the extraordinary capacity to split Afenifere, the
pan-Yoruba socio-political group. He has the uncanny ability to wrap Afenifere
and some of its leaders around his finger and twist them as he wishes to serve
his purpose.
*Pa Fasoranti
Tinubu rode on Afenifere’s coattails to become governor of Lagos
State in 1999, but once he acquired political invincibility, fuelled by state
resources, he turned ruthlessly on the group. To further his political
interests, Tinubu divided Afenifere, pocketed some of its leaders and sponsored
a renegade faction called “Afenifere Renewal Group.”
But the mainstream Afenifere regrouped and acquired national
respectability under the energetic and principled leadership of Chief Ayo
Adebanjo. Now, however, in pursuit of his “lifelong ambition” to become
Nigeria’s president, Tinubu has again ruptured Afenifere. He has set Chief
Reuben Fasoranti, the group’s supposedly retired and hitherto reclusive leader,
against Chief Adebanjo, Afenifere’s public face, as well as its intellectual
and moral force.
It takes discerning spirit to see the unequalled blessings to
the Afenifere from what ordinary folks see as crisis from the recent gathering
in Akure. To start with, it is apposite to say and as revealed in his
interview with the Sunday Punch of November 6, that the meeting was conveyed by
Dare Babarinsa and Otunba Kole Omololu through the ‘Conscience of the Yoruba
Nation’, a WhatsApp Group administered by the latter who incidentally is
the National Organising Secretary of Afenifere.
Chief Ebiseni
The invitation which was on the letterhead of the group and now
in circulation on social media, was said to be a meeting with the leadership of
the Yoruba nation “to discuss the historic 2023 General election and take a
definite and wise decision” and also with “one of the leading candidates,
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, within a specified two hours duration of 11 am to1.pm.
The Ayo Adebanjo-led Afenifere’s support for Peter Obi and the
Labour Party (LP) has roots in the historic parley held between Ohaneze and
Afenifere in Lagos in early 2017. That parley made strong national headlines as
it was welcomed by political pundits from both sides as a worthwhile
development.
*Adebanjo
As an elder statesman who has no other option than to follow the
path of honesty and speak the truth no matter what, Pa Adebanjo, who led
Afenifere to that parley, cannot afford to backtrack from what he personally
championed and endorsed. That is why he is not mincing words to say that
equity, justice and fairness demand that the South-East should be given the
opportunity to produce the next president in 2023, if the so-called national
unity is anything to go by. Otherwise, the whole thing would be mere propaganda
and deceit for sectional domination by those who think they are born to rule.
Before the electioneering season, Peter Obi had been
underestimated in the presidential race and called a loser. The establishment,
made up of ruthless political class who do not want their boat of milking
Nigeria and its future dry to be rocked by Peter the Rock, taunted him.
*Peter Obi and his wife, Margaret
They jeered that he had no structure. The old and tired
politicians averred he would come distant third. Then they and their minions
mocked that he would only win on social media and end up a mere social media
president.
The legacy politicians and their cronies were still living in
denial when the gale of ObiDatti Movement started sweeping through the land,
stirring a tsunami – ably led by the youths whose popular reality show,
BBNaija, for the first time did not distract or deter. They are shocked to
their bone marrows at the phenomenal accept- ability of Obi’s candidacy and the
demand for his presidency by Nigerians across board. Be- cause no political
movement had been this massive, spontaneous, organic and revolutionary in our
recorded political experience.
Before the political parties conducted their primaries, a
journalist asked what is my view about the 2023 general election? I answered
and said the country should be restructured before the general election, and he
followed up by asking if there should be an election, which zone should the
presidency come from? And I unhesitatingly said, of course, the South-East.
*Chief Adebanjo
After the primaries and the candidates emerged with Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu from the South-West, APC; Atiku Abubakar on the platform of PDP; and
Peter Obi on the platform of Labour Party and I announced Afenifere’s support
for Peter Obi, not a few Yoruba leaders question why I should be supporting
Peter Obi a candidate of Igbo extraction against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba.
I took my time to explain that the presidency is not a contest
between the Yorubas and the Igbos, and to a large extent I was able to convince
many.
The National leader of the pan-Yoruba
socio-cultural organization, Afenifere,
Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s unyielding opposition
to the widespread yearning of Nigerians for the restructuring of the country is
swelling the ranks self-determination agitators and fueling the demands for secession.
Speaking at the Service of Songs in
honour of the late Publicity Secretary of Afenifere,
Mr. Yinka Odumakin, at the Police College Ikeja on Thursday, April 22, Adebanjo
stated that if Buhari claims to be a democrat, he would not have refused to gratify
the yearning of the people to have the country restructured:
“It’s Buhari that encourages secession.
Those of us calling for restructuring are the people who want Nigeria to stay.
They mention Igboho, they mention Nnamdi Kanu. These people represent the
youths here, because the suffering is much; the suffering is bad. And if they
don’t restructure Nigeria, we’ll have more Igbohos, we’ll have more Nnamdi Kanus.
I don’t support secession and don’t oppose it,” he said.
Leader of
the 'unseen' persons ruling us, Alhaji Mamman Daura, spoke last week. He said
enough of turn-by-turn presidency for Nigeria. He decreed that North-South
rotation of the presidency of Nigeria should be dead; from 2023, the most
competent among contenders would be put in the Presidential Villa.
*Daura
The Afenifere reacted sharply; the North is
silent; the Ohanaeze spoke hard.
Leaders of the Niger Delta also kicked against Daura's executive order banning
zoning of the presidency. But what
can their puny noise do to a people who built their confidence on solid rock?
When a man whose lips rarely move decides to speak out, you had better drop all
you are doing and listen carefully. The man who spoke is not known to be a
flippant person.
The handshake across the Niger summit
has come and gone.Though the event was fraught with
strategic shortfalls, the move ought to be encouraged by all, because disunity
in Southern Nigeria has been a stumbling block to Nigeria’s democracy.
Here is why and
how. A definite problem that dogged the Nigerian democracy for ages was lack of
dynamic opposition due to proliferation of political parties. This phenomenon
contributed to systemic dictatorship and, by consequence, a history of power
abuse. The god of democracy came to the rescue by provoking the creation of the
All Progressive Congress (APC). Unfortunately, however, the desired outcome has
been elusive because of another dimension of dictatorship in form of primordial
ethnic tyranny.
On March 28th a hitherto unknown northern group known as the Arewa
Youth Consultative Forum, through its spokesman, one Yerima Shetima, had the
nerve and effrontery to accuse Afenifere and the Yoruba nation of a
“subtle campaign of ethnic cleansing” and went on to threaten us with what they
described as “reprisals against the millions of Yoruba living in the north” if
we did not stop complaining about the fact that our people were slaughtered in
Ile-Ife and that the police were handling the whole matter in a selective,
inappropriate and unjust manner.
It
is clear that this is not an empty threat because for the last two weeks fake
and horrendous videos and graphicpicturesof what purport to be the killings of
Hausa Fulanis by the Yoruba and the people of Ile-Ife are being circulated all
over the internet and social media by those that seek to promote anarchy,
violence and carnage and those that are set to kill.
This
is not the time toescalatethe tension and we must do all we can
to exercise restraint and keep the peace but clearly the stage is being set by
some in the north for ethnic pogroms and reprisals against the Yoruba.
Yet
we are not in the least bit perturbed and someone should advise the Arewa Youth
Consultative Forum and those that theyrepresentthat pulling the tail of the tiger can
be a verydangerous thingindeed.
Like
Shakespeare’s KingHenry Vonce said they must “wake not our
sleeping sword lightly.”
They
and whoever sent them can be rest assured that the Yoruba are not intimidated
or deterred by their boastful threats and that we will lose no sleep over their
irresponsible and reckless words.
Whether
they and their sponsors like it or not we shall continue to complain and to
protest and we eagerly await the full manifestation and execution of their
cold-blooded and unwarranted threat.
Yesterday
evening the Arewa Consultative Forum itself, the body of elders and leaders
that speaks for the north, chose to stop hiding behind their youths and waded
into the ring.
They
issued a formal statement, through one Muhammadu Ibrahim, who is apparantly
their spokesman, cautioning Yoruba elders and leaders not to “give ethnic
coloration to the Ile-Ife crises” and that if they continued to do so they
should be mindful of and ready for what he described as “reprisal
consequences”.
On2nd October 2015, I offered it as my opinion on this page
that the provocative activities of Fulani herdsmen are likely to lead to war
which “when it begins, will be like all wars – senseless, destructive and
lamentable. No one knows when and where it will begin, but it will begin as a
convulsive reprisal for a massacre by Fulani herdsmen, a phenomenon that has
now assumed all but a common occurrence in Nigeria.’ “The scale and
frequency of massacres by Fulani herdsmen without a single prosecution is the clearest
evidence of what is known as impunity, and impunity is the reason the coming
war is inescapable.”
That was before the
herdsmen had kidnapped and murdered the traditional ruler of Ubulu-Ukwu in DeltaState.
That was before the herdsmen conducted their full-scale terrorist invasion of
Agatu land in BenueState practically
paralyzing and occupying eight local governments in the state and killing at
least 500 persons and burning scores of towns and villages. That was before
the Ugwuneshi incident in EnuguState where a distressed
community being harassed by the herdsmen was gathering to discuss its
predicament. Suddenly Nigerian Army trucks arrived and, as the herdsmen
cheered, the army bundled 76 men into their trucks and on to the Umuahia
Prison. Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi then went to Umuahia, trying to
secure the freedom of the humiliated men, and dropped a tear or two. But that
was just the beginning of his anguish. In Ugwuneshi he was dealing with 76 men
unjustly imprisoned. He broke down last week when he had to see recovered dead
bodies of men slaughtered by the same Fulani herdsmen at Ukpabi Nimbo,
Uzo-Uwani.
The rampaging herdsmen
had attacked and burned seven villages – Nimbo Ngwoko, Ugwuijoro, Ekwuru,
Ebor, Enugu Nimbo, Umuome, and Ugwuachara.
The most frightening
part of the attack on Nimbo was the high level discipline and military
precision of its execution. The Enugu State Government had been informed of
the impending attack and the governor had promptly convened the state’s security
council meeting which included every arm of the security agencies – the Enugu
Garrison Command 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army, the Commissioner of
Police, the Department of |State Security, and Prison officials. Each arm
assured the governor that it would do everything to pre-empt the attack. The
herdsmen apparently operate at a much higher level and, so, the best laid plans
of the governor and the state’s security agencies were thwarted by Fulani
herdsmen. That sense of impotence and helplessness necessitated the governor’s
recourse to and the re-mobilization of the state’s indigenous neighborhood
watch. With the unanimous approval of the traditional rulers and the
association of town unions, Governor Ugwuanyi had to cough out N100 million to
begin the process of activating the vigilante network.
The scariest part of
the Nimbo disaster was the reaction of the 19 governors of Northern
Nigeria who flat out denied the fact known to all that Fulani
herdsmen had conducted the massacre. Indeed, in a show of righteous
indignation, they warned Nigerians to stop ‘insulting’ Fulani herdsmen.
