Afenifere: The ‘Coup’ Ousting Adebanjo; The Peter Obi Angle

Pa Ayo Adebanjo is no longer the Deputy Leader of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization.

Adebanjo was removed yesterday by the leader of the organisation, Pa Reuben Fasoranti at the monthly general meeting of the group, held at the latter’s residence in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Until his removal, Adebanjo had had a frosty relationship with the leadership of the group.

His ouster, according to those watching what is happening in Afenifere has been long overdue, as he appears not to share the same interest with the body.

According to Fasonranti, the decision comes in the light of the ongoing efforts by the leadership of the association to reposition the group for current reality.

With that in mind, the Afenifere stated, the position of Deputy Leader was no longer necessary, saying the responsibilities and authority of advising Afenifere leader and Asiwaju Yoruba are now vested in the Afenifere Elders Caucus which has been constituted comprising 21 members.

Fasonranti said he’s the chairman of the caucus while other act as members.

Other caucus members include, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Oba Olu Falae; Senator C. O. Adebayo; Senator Femi Okunrounmu; Basorun Seinde Arogbofa; Senator Kofo Bucknor Akerele; Arch Bishop Prince Ayo Ladigbolu; Lt. Gen Alani Ipoola Akinrinade; Maj Gen. Olu Bajowa (rtd) and Prof Bolaji Akinwande Akinyemi.

They also include, Prof Banji Akintoye; Dr S A J Ibikunle; Chief Femi Aluko; Prince Alonge; Dr Yomi Finnih; Prince Olusi; Hon Korede Duyile; Prof Ropo Sekoni; Hon Lekan Alabi and Dr Kunle Olajide.

Recall that during the 2023 presidential election, Adebanjo Acting as Afenifere leader at the time, supported Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, while the larger Afenifere backed Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who later won the election.

Adebanjo said he decided to back Obi for presidency in other to promote equity and inclusiveness.

He said, “The current President is a Fulani from the Northwest and by virtue of the zoning arrangement that has governed Nigeria since 1999, power is supposed to return to the south imminently

“The southwest as I have pointed out has produced a president and currently sits as VP, the South-South has spent a total of6 years in the Presidency, but the Igbo people of the South-East have never tasted presidency in Nigeria, and now that the power is due back in the South equity demands that it be ceded to the Igbo.

“We cannot continue to demand that the Igbo people remain in Nigeria, while we at the same time continue to brutally marginalize and exclude them from the power dynamic.

“Peter Obi is the person of Igbo extraction that Afenifere has decided to support and back, he is the man we trust to restructure the country back to federalism on the assumption of office,” Adebanjo said.

According to keen watchers of events in the country, key leaders of the group were not happy with Adebanjo for his decision, they blamed him for polarizing the group. He is a rebel who must be punished, they said, stressing that others could follow the same trajectory if Adebanjo is not made example of.

The only way to restore the group to its prime place in the south west and Nigeria at large, some leaders of Afenifere said is to sanction Adebanjo, sources informed the magazine on Thursday.

Explaining what transpired at the Akure meeting in a communique released to the media,  the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi explained stated that a motion to remove Adebanjo was moved by Dr. S. J. Ibikunle from Ogun State and was seconded by members from Ekiti, Kwara, Oyo and Ondo States.

“When the matter was thrown to the general house, the motion was unanimously carried.”

The group also resolved that there is an urgent need to rework the Security Architecture of the country to ensure that Nigerians were able to live and move about without the fear of being kidnapped or harassed in any way.

“Such reworking should include giving states and local government councils that so desire to establish own police services with all the requisite powers to function as such. Doing so would check, if not totally stop, the incidences of kidnapping and sundry banditry now ravaging the land.

“The unfortunate blast in Ibadan clearly underscores the need to allow the federating units in the country to control mineral resources in their respective areas with particular reference to mining and exploration. The reasoning behind this was that had it been that states were in control of mining for instance, Oyo State government was likely to know how explosives were being moved around. Such would have made last week’s horrendous blast that claimed many lives, traumatized hundreds of people and destroyed properties running into billions of Naira would have been prevented.”

According to the Communique, the meeting took note of the report that Miyetti Allah Hore set up a 1,144-strong Nomad Vigilante militia in Nassarawa ostensibly to provide security for Fulani herders.

“Afenifere was of the opinion that Miyetti Allah, being a non-state actor, should not have power to do a thing like that. It therefore considered the action of the Department of State Security (DSS) to checkmate Miyetti Allah on the issue as timely and in order.

“The meeting expressed the hope that President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda would be giving the necessary push so that life can be easier for the people of Nigeria.

“Among the means of achieving this are taking steps that would strengthen the value of our currency, the Naira, reduce costs of energy (fuel in particular) through local production of petroleum products as well as regular supply of electricity.”