Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the Leader of the pan-Yoruba Socio-political organization, Afenifere, has affirmed that he remains the leader of the group and that the group’s choice in the forthcoming general elections is the foremost presidential candidate in the country and revered national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This clarification was in a bid to douse the controversy that has trailed the official endorsement of Tinubu by the group when he visited Pa Fasoranti in his Akure home on Sunday.
The controversy was ignited by Pa Ayo Adebanjo, one of the leaders of the group who claimed that the group is rooting for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi.
Pa Adebanjo in a tweet on Sunday gave an erroneous impression that Tinubu “bribed some people to put up a show that there’s a division in Afenifere.”
Pa Fasoranti, in an interview monitored by Theliberationnews explained that Pa Adebanjo only expressed his personal opinion emphasizing that the candidate of the Pan-Yoruba is the former Lagos State Governor.
Speaking further, Pa Fasoranti explained that it was the collective decision of all members of the group to collectively throw their weight behind Tinubu pointing out that Pa Adebanjo is acting arbitrarily.
His words: “I’m still the leader of Afenifere. No, Afenifere is not endorsing Obi. We are endorsing Jagaban. As you can see, the trend, the followings, their program, acceptability; we saw what happened yesterday (Sunday), the media carried the whole thing. Can he (Adebanjo Warn me not to welcome Tinubu) do that successfully? No, he never warned me. He took a stance and I took mine. I didn’t call him and he didn’t call me. We didn’t speak about it ”
When ask about the decision of southwest about Tinubu’s aspiration, Pa Fasoranti said; “As you can see yesterday (Sunday), it goes without saying, Jagaban is accepted and we approve of him. Obi has not stand in our mind at all.”
Recall Theliberationnews reported that the group, in a press statement released on Sunday, explained that its decision to support Tinubu came after taking into consideration the antecedents of the former Lagos state governor as well as his progressive leadership style.
The statement, signed by the National Organizing Secretary of the group, Abagun Kole Omololu, read in part: “Having taken cognisance of his commendable antecedents as Lagos State Governor and his demonstrated ability in building physical and human capital, the Yoruba Leaders at today’s meeting are in no doubt that Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria offers the best opportunity to produce a government of that will usher in a new era of hope, peace, security, harmony, gainful employment for the multitude, economic development, social and political stability.”
