By Akinwale Kasali
Factional Group of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Oodua Progresssives Care Initiative, OPCI, has condemned, in strong language, what they described as the unguarded outburst and vituperation of Gani Adams, the Aare Onakankanfo of Yorubaland, against the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The National President of OPCI, Chief Maruff Olarewaju, said it was nauseating, saddening and disheartening to hear the Yoruba Generalissimo in a recent interview pour venom on Asiwaju Tinubu.
The OPCI Leader said seeing a man that claim to be a promoter of Yoruba culture, values and unity, descending so low to be attacking a Yoruba leader as Gani Adams did is pathetic and absurd.
He said: “Having carefully watched and monitored reactions and counter reactions from different quarters, the Oodua Progressives Care Initiative, an organisation that believes in efficacy of Yoruba culture and values with unreserved respect to the Elders and Leaders who deserved it, hereby openly and outrightly condemn the verbal attacks on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Mr. Gani Adams.
“In every sense of reasoning, no responsible and reliable Yoruba will support Gani Adams on this unwarranted attack. For those who care to know, it is on record that all predicaments and tribulations faced by Chief Obafemi Awolowo during his lifetime, 90 per cent of it came from his Yoruba people, the predicaments and the untimely death of Chief MKO Abiola while pursuing his June 12 mandate, Yoruba contributed above 80 per cent of it, and we in OPCI ask, why Yoruba against Yoruba all the time, when we are not accursed people?
“Sadly too, the biggest enemies of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo today are Yoruba, and I wonder why.
“It is highly unfortunate that Gani Adams, as Aare Onakakanfo, would not reason and think twice before throwing verbal missiles on any Yoruba personality that failed to give him (Gani Adams) money, forgetting that he is writing another unforgivable history for himself.
“Gani Adams has never seen anything good about Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the same thing he did to the late Dr. Frederic Fasheun after he plotted a coup against his OPC leadership in 1999. Now it is Tinubu? Why is it Gani Adams all the time? Was Gani Adams appointed Aare Onakakanfo to unite Yoruba land and its people or to bring disharmony?
“OPCI is not a political party, neither does it have an affiliation with any, but we belong to all political parties and all political parties belong to us as far as Yoruba are in the parties.
“For those of us who knew where Adams was coming from, it came to many of us as a surprise that he could quickly forget the roles and efforts of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his life, especially when he was Mr nobody, it is very unfortunate.
“We hereby call on the general public to ignore the Gani Adams’ unfortunate comments on Tinubu. We know him for such when he’s down financially, very smart and brave when it comes to roping and blackmailing, Gani Adams is a fantastical liar.
“To refresh our memory, the activities of Gani Adams during the 2015 general elections where he openly declared support for President Jonathan, it will be foolish of anybody to believe that Adams has the interest of Yoruba. In his heart, the philosophy of our friend is money for hand, back for ground.
“What should be paramount to all Yoruba now is how to overcome all the challenges facing our dear Yoruba Nation and to support ourselves to achieve the achievable goals”, he concluded.
