Victor EzejaPan- Yoruba socio political organisation, Afenifere, has condemned the electoral violence, voter suppression and ethnically-targeted attacks during the just concluded gubernatorial elections in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State.
The group also rejected the outcome of the presidential election in which the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was declared the winner and President-elect, and expressed support for the decision of the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to challenge the declaration in court.
The group made this known in a communique issued at the end of its meeting on Tuesday in Ogun State.
In the communique signed by the Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, and its Secretary General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, the group reiterated its position that Obi won the majority votes in the 25th February presidential election.
“Afenifere reiterate our position that the Presidential election held on the 25th of February 2023 was characterised by all forms of primitive manipulations and noncompliance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2022 and the Guidelines and Regulations made pursuant thereto with concomitant legislative force.
“The results of the lawful votes at the Presidential election available to the Afenifere through credible sources confirm that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, won the said election and we, thus, support his decision challenging the contrary declaration by the INEC.
“Condemn in the strongest terms, the campaigns of calumny and acts of ethnic violence deployed by some politicians and their hired criminal gangs in several parts of the federation during the gubernatorial election particularly Lagos State where the election was made to appear like an inter-ethnic war between the Yoruba and Igbo which greatly led to voters’ suppression and other forms of deliberate disenfranchisement through brigandage,” part of the communique read.
The group restated its earlier call for the Nigerian presidency to be zoned to the South East for the sake of equity, fairness, national cohesion and peaceful coexistence.
The pan Yoruba Socio-cultural group dissociated itself from a report that said it berated the Chairman, Council of Elders of the Igbo apex socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, for allegedly describing the Yoruba people as “political rascals.”
Afenifere said it never authored any statement condemning Iwuanyanwu for allegedly denigrating Yoruba people, noting that the Igbo chieftain’s speech at the event to mark the one year in office of Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo on Saturday, was twisted out of context.
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It said: “Afenifere received a message credited to Chief Emmanuel Iwunayanwu in a viral video alleging indictment of the Yoruba as political rascals on account of ethnic violence deployed by politicians of the ruling party in Lagos State. On the analysis of the video and information at the disposal of Afenifere by people at the Anambra State gathering, we are convinced that Chief Iwunayanwu rightly asserted that the Yoruba and Igbo were not at war and truly condemned the shenanigans of some political rascals.
“Flowing from the above, Afenifere state that it never issued any statement and dissociate the Organisation from any such statement against Chief Iwunayanwu.”
The group said it observed uncouth activities and unauthorised statements in its name and the constant denigration of the organisation, by Jare Ajayi, the National Publicity Secretary and Abagun Kole Omololu the National Organising Committee and resolved that they be immediately removed from their office.
“After due consideration of the unending embarrassing conduct of the two officers, the Meeting resolved that they be and are hereby removed immediately from their respective offices and their membership be suspended sine die pending further decisions after their appearance before and recommendations by the Disciplinary Committee.
“Restate our position that in accordance with the hallowed Yoruba culture of civilised conduct, Afenifere assure all persons resident in Yorubaland, indigenes and non-indegenes, of protection in the conduct of their lawful duties and thus warn all threats mongers and merchants of violence to desist therefrom.”
The group called on the judiciary to prove itself as an independent arbiter by making dispassionate judgement on the election petitions pending before it now in “accordance with the judicial oaths of its members, in covenant with the Nigerian people.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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