Afenifere debunks endorsing coalition, says report is false
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere, on Tuesday, debunked a report claiming that it had endorsed the Coalition movement spearheaded by a group of political parties in Nigeria.
This disclaimer followed an ongoing report within the political circle, as claimed by a group that visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his private residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at the weekend.
A statement by the national publicity secretary of the organisation, Jare Ajayi, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, declared that Afenifere had not sent any delegation to ex-President Obasanjo in recent times nor made any statement being credited to it.
PUNCH Online had reported that a coalition of opposition parties in Nigeria has adopted the African Democratic Congress as its platform for the 2027 general elections.
Ajayi maintained that the team that visited were those who played important roles in the attempt to make Peter Obi president during the 2023 presidential election race.
Afenifere said, “We are not denying the fact that at least two of the people in the delegation are notable Afenifere chieftains. They are Sola Ebiseni and Akin Osuntokun.
“But it is on record that Osuntokun was the person who took over as Campaign Director of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council when late Doyin Okupe resigned from that position.
“Ebiseni was the South-West Coordinator of the same council,” the organisation explained.
The national publicity secretary added that what further underscores the fact that the visit was not that of Afenifere was the presence of coordinators of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council who are not in Afenifere.
“They were John Ughulu and Folaseye Adabayo, Lagos State Coordinator and Secretary, respectively, of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council.
“The principal, Obi, has been reported to be in the ADC Coalition presently. It is therefore logical that his supporters would be justifying the coalition.
“Afenifere is not against any political group. But it is not in cahoots with any political party since it is non-partisan politically. Afenifere is for all the Yorubas. As we all know, not all Yoruba people are in politics.
“Even those who are in politics do not necessarily belong to the same political party. As such, Afenifere can not afford to be politically partisan.
“But since it has a political view, it can support a (socio-political) standpoint that aligns with its own position at any given time,” the statement stated
Ajayi explained that this is why the organisation continues to support the Federal Government’s efforts to restore and reposition the country in the overall interest of the Nigerian people.
“Talking about coalition or no-coalition is, therefore, a distraction that we cannot afford,” he concluded.
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