By Ayodele Oni
The current bickering among Chieftains of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio cultural group over who to support among arrays of candidates jostling to become Nigeria’s president come 2023, may have cost Chief Ayo Adebanjo his position.
Chief Adebanjo was named about two years ago as acting leader of Afenifere, following old age and I’ll health of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, who has been leader of the group since demise of pa Abraham Adesanya.
Apart from acting as a leader, meetings of the group is being held at Ile Ogbo or Lagos home of Chief Adebanjo as against Akure, country home of Fasoranti.
Chief Fasoranti, has now announced that henceforth, the meeting of the socio-political group has now been returned to in Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he is resident.
Speaking during a live television programme, IATV, a You Tube channel, Chief Fasoranti said he remains the national leader of Afenifere.
The decision is aftermath of the visit of the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) Bola Tinubu to Akure on Sunday during which he received prayer from Chief Fasoranti.
Reacting to the visit, Chief Adebanjo alleged that the APC candidate might have bribed Chief Fasoranti and that the support from Fasoranti and other Chieftains at the reception was a ploy to divide Afenifere.
Chief Adebanjo has been at the forefront of support for the candidate of Labour Party, (LP) Peter Obi, saying the next president must come form south east.
According to the leader of the socio-political group, the meetings of the group will no longer hold in Ogbo, Ijebuland in Ogun State, the home of its Acting Leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo.
He said this was a collective decision of the leadership and membership of the body.
Fasoranti said the issue that led to the movement of the meeting to Ogbo was a misinterpretation of the state of his health.
“Afenifere meetings will come back to Akure: Yes, I dictate the pace. It will come back.
“The reason the meeting was shifted was a misunderstanding, misinterpretation and misconception of some people that I was going senile as I cannot comprehend.
“When I heard that, I reacted. And the person who said that regretted saying so. So, no problem.”
On the perceived interregnum in leadership, Pa Fasoranti said: “Nothing has happened. No shaking.”
He also said that most of the leaders and members of the body have said they would not be going for meetings in Adebanjo’s home henceforth.
Speaking on the claim that he backed Tinubu for the presidency because he was monetarily induced, Fasoranti, who first burst into laughter, said: “Those who know me will say no.
“I didn’t take any money. I stand by principles.”
Speaking further in Yoruba language, he added that the group did not back the presidential candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, but Tinubu, who he referred to by his traditional title from Borgu in Niger State, Jagaban.
“Reuben Fasoranti is the head of Afenifere at this period. No two positions on it. If you ask the members of our group, they won’t name someone else.
“Afenifere did not back Obi. We put forward Jagaban to be voted for.”
