Afenifere Crisis: Senior Chiefs To Settle Fasoranti-Adebanjo Feud

Leaders of the apex Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, have agreed to resolve the crisis in the organization following the contentious endorsement of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Bola Tinubu, by the association’s two leaders.

On Thursday, Anaedoonline.ng reported that a four-man committee comprised of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae; Senator Femi Okurounmu; an ex-Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo; and the Afenifere Secretary-General, Bashorun Sehinde Arogbofa would meet with the Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, and the acting

Kole Omololu, Afenifere’s National Organising Secretary, confirmed the peace move to Newsmen in a telephone interview in Lagos.

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While Omololu stated that a reconciliation meeting will be held in Fasoranti’s villa in Akure, an Afenifere chieftain and former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, stated that she was not aware of any such meeting.

The divide in the socio-cultural association arose when Adebanjo, one of Afenifere’s leaders, sponsored the LP presidential candidate, claiming that it was the South-turn East’s to control the country.

He said, “It is only Peter Obi that can rule independently without the influence of these criminals in the government. Tinubu will only give continuity to Buhari’s incompetence. We know Peter Obi very well, that’s why we endorsed him. He will not disappoint Nigerians, let’s put tribal differences apart and vote the right leader in.’’

Last Sunday, however, the APC presidential candidate paid a visit to Fasoranti’s house in Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he submitted his manifesto to the Afenifere leader and received the elder statesman’s endorsement.

The nonagenarian declared that Tinubu would win the 2023 election after praying for the former Lagos State governor.

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He said, “It is only Peter Obi that can rule independently without the influence of these criminals in the government. Tinubu will only give continuity to Buhari’s incompetence. We know Peter Obi very well, that’s why we endorsed him. He will not disappoint Nigerians, let’s put tribal differences apart and vote the right leader in.’’

Last Sunday, however, the APC presidential candidate paid a visit to Fasoranti’s house in Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he submitted his manifesto to the Afenifere leader and received the elder statesman’s endorsement.

After praying for Tinubu, the nonagenarian reportedly declared that Tinubu would win the 2023 election.

Fasoranti maintained that he was still the leader of Afenifere while disputing claims that the organisation had endorsed Peter Obi, but Adebanjo, who took over from Fasoranti in March 2021, criticized the visit.

Shedding light on the efforts to resolve the differences between the two Yoruba elders, Omololu stated that the concerns would be resolved soon, emphasizing that the association was not in crisis.

He stated, “Baba never sacked the acting leader, Pa Adebanjo. The acting leader will still be the one calling the meeting and the meeting will still be held at the leader’s place.

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“Consultation is the hallmark of Afenifere; all the leaders will still consult with each other. We have six leaders who make Afenifere, we call them the national leaders. They are at the peak; they are above the exco, they are above the caucus and the general meeting.

“If these six sit down and decide, that is the end. Anybody saying any other thing does not know Afenifere. These six will sit very soon and iron things out. Four of them were present in Akure, only two were absent.”

According to him, the news that Fasoranti had fired Adebanjo was false, and he declared that he remained the association’s acting leader.

Fasoranti, in a statement published by his Personal Assistant, Mr Adedapo Abiola, earlier on Thursday, stated that he never prohibited Adebanjo from functioning as the group’s acting leader and criticized the media portrayal on the situation.

Speaking further about the situation, the Afenifere organizing secretary claimed that Adebanjo, as the association’s head, would call a meeting of the organization at his convenience.

“There is no crisis to resolve in the first instance. The acting leader is the acting leader, he would call a meeting at his discretion. What the leader (Fasoranti) is saying is that the meeting will be held in Akure and he is not just saying it, that is just our tradition and also that is what every member wants.

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“There is no crisis that one leader is holding onto one candidate or another leader endorsing another candidate. I think we should leave that to when people get to the polling booth, they know what to do. It is just for these leaders to give a moral direction.”

Omololu explained that the Yoruba group had always held its meetings at the residence of its leaders.

Explaining how Akure became Afenifere’s secretariat, he said, “When you look at it, right from Papa Ajasin’s days, meetings were held at his place in Owo; while we had an acting leader in place, everybody travelled to Owo for meetings. After the death of Baba Ajasin, the meeting moved to Ijebu Igbo at the residence of Baba Adesanya and it is now in Akure at the residence of Baba Fasoranti. That is what baba is saying.

“I think there is gross misinterpretation in what the leader said. The acting leader is still the acting leader. He is still in charge. Only that meeting will be held in Akure. He never said the acting leader was sacked. He never used that word and he would never use that word. In the tradition of Afenifere, meetings are always held at the residence of the leader, I think that is what he said, he never said the acting leader is sacked.”

Similarly, a former Afenifere secretary, Okurounmu, assured that the crisis would soon be resolved.

In response to a question from one of our correspondents in Abeokuta on Thursday, the former head of the 13-member Advisory Committee on National Conference stated, “the elders are on the situation and would soon fix it.”

He, however, refused to provide the location of the intended reconciliation meeting.

Gbenga Kaka, a former Senator representing Ogun East and Afenifere leader, downplayed allegations of a crisis in the socio-cultural organisation, describing it as ordinary disagreement.

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Kaka, who was also the state’s vice governor, claimed the dispute between Fasoranti and Adebanjo was a matter of choice, and that it will be handled soon.

He advised the public to dismiss reports that the Yoruba ethnic community was in trouble.

He said, “There is no crisis in Afenifere; we should stop blowing or promoting unnecessary crises that are non-existent. People are bound to disagree and people are bound to have choices. So, I don’t know what you call a crisis; maybe you want to expatiate.

“Don’t we have beauty in plurality? If we are from the same mother and same father and we decided that we want to eat Eba and Amala, that won’t create any crisis.

“So, we are like a family and we are one. Mere differences should not be termed as crisis and by the grace of God, whatever misunderstanding there is, would be resolved. We are looking into it and it will be resolved. So, it’s nothing to blow (out of proportion).”

When asked if a meeting to discuss the matter will be held, he stated, “I am not meant to be the one to tell you that; contact the secretary or contact the leaders or executive members of the Afenifere.”
They will notify you if there will be a meeting.

“And we have been holding meetings every month. It’s statutory. So, it may not necessarily be a new one unless there is an emergency.”

He urged politicians to desist from tainting the reputation of the Yoruba leaders.

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“Help us appeal to our people that if there are younger ones who want to climb the back of the elders to stardom or for pecuniary gains, they should not break the back of our elders.

“At 95 and 97, they have paid their dues; they have made their contribution that is outstanding and nobody should attempt to drag their good names and integrity into the mud.’’

Jare Ajayi, the Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, confirmed that efforts were underway to get the two major leaders of the group together.

According to the Afenifere spokesman, what happened between the two leaders was a misreading of matters that will be handled very soon.

Ajayi stated, “When things of this nature occur, the elders usually find ways to make sure they don’t degenerate further. What happened is a question of misinterpretation; like I told you earlier, there is no crisis in Afenifere. All of them have the interest of Yorubaland at heart and Nigeria as a whole. It will be resolved.”

When asked when the next Afenifere meeting would be held and where, Ajayi stated the organization would meet shortly but that the notification would include the place, date, and time.

“Yes, Afenifere will meet soon. When the meeting will be held, a notice will be sent out but that has not been done,’’ he clarified.

Similarly, Dr Kunle Olajide, Secretary-General of the Yoruba Council of Elders, stated that Yoruba leaders had jumped into action to ensure that the misunderstanding between the two leaders would not worsen.

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The YCE secretary said, “Of course, efforts are being made behind the scenes to bring them together. That will not be done in public but we are all making efforts to make sure that we quickly bring our fathers together.

“Politics won’t divide them. Blood is thicker than water, political parties come and go but one’s relationship with your origin is cherished. Nothing can make one change their place of origin. You can’t change your birth place. I can tell you that efforts are being made to bring our fathers together.”

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