A group identified as the Grand Council of Yoruba Youths have accused Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, of deceiving the Labour Party’s (LP) Presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
According to the group, Adebanjo was deceiving Obi to favour the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, adding that he is a factional leader and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Applesbite gathered that the group, who made the allegation in a statement, noted that the Afenifere leader was promoting Atiku’s agenda and not Obi.
ASUU Reveals Major Reason Strike Was Suspended
The youth council further stated that Adebanjo’s history of support for PDP since 2011 is contrary to his statement of support to Obi which reads “Peter Obi is the person of Igbo extraction that Afenifere has decided to support. He is the man we trust to restructure the country back to federalism upon the assumption of office. To keep Nigeria one, everyone should be Obi-Datti compliant.”
The group said: “Pa Ayo Adebanjo’s Afenifere endorsed former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, 2015, and Atiku Abubakar in 2019, both of whom were then-presidential candidates of PDP, but now smartly claiming it had shifted its loyalty from PDP candidates to Peter Gregory Obi, presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) ahead of 2023 election.”
The Yoruba Youth council, however, explained that there are three Afenifere factions in Yorubaland and that the faction of Adebanjo is the minority Afenifere, while the other two factions are the majority.
The statement further submitted that Chief Reuben Fasoranti’s faction now led by Pa Ayo Adebanjo is the minority Afenifere, which endorsed former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and three PDP governorship candidates in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo in 2019 general election.
While the late Senator Ayo Fasanmi’s faction, which is now led by Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi and the third faction which is the Wale Osu-led Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has pledged their support for APC because they are always forthcoming in the decision-making of core progress in Yorubaland.
“The interpretation of the above is that since 2011, PDP candidates always get the minority Afenifere endorsement while APC candidates get majority Afenifere endorsement,” the statement said.
