Afenifere Adopts Atiku Abubarkar, Says Osinbajo Betrayed Yorubas

By Babatope Okeowo, Akure

Afenifere, the Pan
Yoruba Sociopolitical group has taken a swipe at the Vice President,
Prof Yemi Osinbajo for not pushing Yoruba agenda with the All
Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government.

The
mainstream Yoruba organization said the Yoruba since the days of Chief
Obafemi Awolowo has always canvassed restructuring, true federalism and
devolution of power which the APC government did not believe in.

At
a general meeting held at the house of the leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti,
the group adopted the resolution of the Leaders of Nigeria, consisting
of the leadership of Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum
(PANDEF), Middle Belt Forum, Northern Elders Forum endorsing the
candidacy of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Mr Peter Obi in the
Presidential election on 16th February 2019.

In a communiqué
signed by Fasoranti, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae and Senator
Femi Okunronmu the endorsement was based on the shared commitment to
restructuring Nigeria to guaranty true federalism.

This
development came as the Coalition of United Political Parties, (CUPP),
Ondo State chapter, directed all its members statewide to vote for the
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,
in the February 16 election.

The Chairman of CUPP in the State,
Dr Bode Iwaloye said: the political parties under the CUPP have all
agreed to vote for Abubakar Atiku of the PDP for the presidential
election.

Iwaloye said: “The first point of call in this
agreement is that the CUPP parties in Ondo State have all agreed to vote
for Abubakar Atiku of the PDP for the presidential election.

“In
that case, we are directing all our members of all these parties to
cast their votes for Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in the presidential
election. There would be other areas of cooperation

“Having said
that, we know that the essence of CUPP is not just to cast votes, but
also to build a better Nigeria. That is part of the agreement of CUPP is
that when our incoming president, the president we are waiting for,
Abubkar Atiku comes up after the election, which we hopefully believe
would happen, that Atiku Abubakar is going to form a Government of
National Unity.

“By forming such a government, all the
disruptions we are seeing, all the hullabaloos and all the problems
associated with security in Nigeria would disappear.”

Afenifere
who had earlier endorsed Abubarkar reaffirmed the decision saying the
fact that Osinbajo is a Yoruba son would not make it change its decision
in supporting PDP’s candidate.

Okunronmu who read the communique
said, “That a person is your son does not mean you support him when he
is working against your interest.”

His words “Osinbajo is working
against the interest of Yoruba and our support for Atiku is not the
question of Yoruba or Igbo or Hausa but about somebody that believes in
what Awolowo believed in which is federalism. We advise all Yoruba to
come out and vote for Atiku.

“Osinbajo is hanging on the Fulanis
to work against Yoruba interest when our people are being killed in
their farms by Fulani herdsmen, Osinbajo did not say anything. When we
are talking about restructuring, Osinbajo is arguing against
restructuring and all the Yoruba want is restructuring, so when Osinbajo
is working against restructuring, he is not for Yoruba people

“So we cannot support APC because of Osinbajo who has turned himself to the enemy of Yoruba.”

The
communique read: “We are not unmindful of some impostors parading
themselves as Afenifere holding meetings and endorsing General Muhammad
Buhari to continue in office as the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria in spite of his incompetence, cluelessness, nepotism,
tribalism, religious bigotry, ill-health and glaring mental incapacity.

“These
pretenders are doubtlessly not Afenifere members but, as usual, only
dubiously seeking to exploit the goodwill and reputation of Afenifere to
market their bad political product.

“Their desperation in this
regard is exemplified in the fraudulent printing of campaign posters in
the name and picturing Ambassador Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu as
endorsing Buhari and Osinbajo, which she has since disclaimed.

“The
Afenifere hereby calls on Nigerians and all Yoruba people, in
particular, to come out enmasse and vote for the candidacy of Alhaji
Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi of the Peoples Democratic Party and to
protect their votes in the interest of good governance and life more
abundant for all Nigerians.”

Source:- Newtelegraphonline