Pa Adebanjo Cause Of Crisis In Afenifere – Keyamo; Distances Tinubu From It

By Akinwale Kasali

There is a rift among the leaders of Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, over the endorsement of All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Pa Reuben Fasoranti led Afenifere Group, as against the Ayo Adebanjo faction of Afenifere that has thrown its weight behind the Labour Party, LP, Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.

The allegation from different angles is that Tinubu is the cause of the rift and has polarized the Group.

But this has been debunked by the  spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, SAN, who said it will be unfair for anybody to link the visit of Tinubu to Pa Fasoranti as the reason for the crisis currently rocking the leadership of Pan-Yoruba group.

Tinubu had visited the elder statesman, who endorsed his ambition, which didn’t go down well with the Afenifere Acting Leader, Adebanjo.

Speaking on “Politics Today” on Channels Television, Adebanjo said the move by Tinubu to visit Fasoranti was a move targeted at splitting   Afenifere to which he will not be a party. It is a sort of conspiracy among those who want to see Afenifere divided, he alleged.

“They have been on this plan for over a month and my members came to me to alert me about it and I said, ‘Don’t talk about it. It would be a diversion’. All we want now is an election on issues.”

Keyamo has however said that his principal’s visit was not the reason for the group’s crisis, stressing that there was no iota of truth in the report.

“The real reason for Afenifere’s wrangling is Pa Adebanjo who rushed to endorse a candidate without proper consultation in the organisation to which he belongs.

“The fact that you are made deputy leader does not make you a dictator. I had listened to him in one of his interviews saying ‘That’s not how we do it’. How do they do it? That one person sits and takes a profound decision like that without talking to anyone or your fellow elders within the same organisation?

“Pa Adebanjo should tell the entire Nigeria who and who he spoke with within Afenifere that gave him the go-ahead to endorse Obi. It is down to just bias and sheer hatred for Asiwaju. That’s all. That was exactly what pushed him to make mistake.”