We’re Supporting Peter Obi Because Power Must Return To The South Imminently – Afenifere

The leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo has come out to clarify his position on the group’s support for the Labour Party’s candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi.

He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, the reason why the group will not support the All Progressives Congress’ candidate, Bola Tinubu and the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar is because power is supposed to return to the south imminently after several years.

He added that Afenifere felt the need to come out and explain the reason behind the decision to support Peter Obi.

His words, “Not a few Yoruba leaders questioned why I should be supporting Peter Obi, a candidate of Igbo extraction, against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba. I took my time to explain that the presidency is not a contest between the Yorubas and the Igbos and to a large extent I was able to convince many.”

“But ever since, social media has been filled with comments tending to ethnicise the campaign instead of making it issue-based. Afenifere has, therefore, decided to address you today and through you educate the public on the ideological and equitable principles which have influenced our decision.”

“Afenifere is the Yoruba interpretation of the social welfarist ideology of Action Group, a political party founded by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his colleagues in 1951 with strong advocacy for federalism as the best form of government to give the federating units the requisite autonomy to thrive and peacefully compete among themselves for the ultimate development of Nigeria.”

“In this quest for peace, based on equity and inclusiveness, the Yoruba took the first turn at the zoning arrangement in 1999, and that led to the emergence of Chief (Olusegun) Obasanjo, the current Vice President is a Yoruba man and equity forbids us for presuming to support another Yoruba person for the presidency in 2023.”

“The current President is a Fulani from the North-West and by virtue of the zoning arrangement that has governed Nigeria since 1999, power is supposed to return to the south imminently.”