BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
Afenifere leader, Ayo Adebanjo, has hit back at the leader of a ‘break away’ group of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Tajudeen Olusi, for condemning his open backing of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi for the 2023 election.
Olusi, the leader of Afenifere Egbe Ilosiwaju Yoruba had in an advertorial on Wednesday warned the nonagenarian against desecrating the Afenifere name and the legacies of its past leaders such as Obafemi Awolowo; Adekunle Ajasin and Abraham Adesanya.
Accusing his fellow Yoruba leader of hijacking and privatising the group, Olusi added that Adebanjo, a Yoruba man, ought to be supporting his fellow kinsman and candidate of the All Progressives Congress in his aspiration to win the country’s presidential seat rather than a fringe platform that didn’t have a Yoruba as their candidate.
But speaking to The Point, Adebanjo accused Olusi of polluting the Afenifere name, while describing him as “a stooge of Tinubu” who was on the payroll of the former Lagos State Governor and presidential candidate of the APC.
Adebanjo said, “I leave it for the people of Yoruba land to judge. When last did he speak to Afenifere? He’s a stooge of Tinubu, who has been with Tinubu for the separation of Yoruba long ago. He’s on the payroll of Tinubu, he can write epistles to discredit me. Yoruba people know their leaders, they know who Olusi is and they know who Adebanjo is.”
“When we were forming the Action Group and Afenifere, where was Olusi? Was Olusi not one of those who betrayed Afenifere when we asked them not to join the conservative law? I don’t want to go into any controversy about that now. I’m going all for the redemption of Yoruba people from the Fulani.
Explaining how the Afenifere Egbe Ilosiwaju Yoruba group came about, Adebanjo said, “They are the breakaway group that went away with Tinubu when Tinubu disowned Afenifere. We don’t mind it because they went back on the principles of Afenifere since 1999.”
“When I was appointing Tinubu, where was he? Did he know how he came to be the governor? He’s just a beneficiary to the Yoruba call, he should shut up. He’s too junior to me to be answering what he says. Where was he when we were fighting for Afenifere? I have stated my stand, let them state their stand and let’s see who the people will follow.
“All those who are talking about Tinubu are all on his payroll. Who is independent of Tinubu’s patronage among them? Why are they calling themselves Afenifere Egbe Ilosiwaju Yoruba? What does that mean? Today they say Afenifere Itesiwju, tomorrow they say Afenifere Renewal. That Afenifere name, they just want to pollute it.
“They know that we had made our name long before they started to be stooges. So, they want to convert the whole controversy to a personal matter. Some of them will say it’s because I have something against Tinubu. What do I have against Tinubu who by the grace of God is my own creation? Do I want to become governor of Lagos State or the president?” he wondered.
