Adebanjo reacts to his alleged removal as Afenifere leader over Obi’s endorsement

Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Acting leader of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-political group, on Wednesday spoke on his alleged removal as leader of the organisation.

The highly respected and foremost group, which is known for championing the cause and interests of the Yorubas since colonial days, has been enmeshed in leadership tussle occasioned by the choice of candidate it has endorsed for the 2023 general election.

The Adebanjo led Afenifere had settled for Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as its preferred choice for the 2023 general election.

However, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, visited the erstwhile leader of the group, Pa Rueben Fasoranti, in Akure, on Sunday.

The meeting has been touted as an endorsement of Tinubu by his supporters. This is even as Fasoranti said the group didn’t endorse Obi.

Matters came to a head on Wednesday after Pa Reuben Fasoranti who previously handed over the leadership to Ayo Adebanjo said that the meeting of the socio-political organisation will henceforth hold in Akure, capital of Ondo State and that the leaders of the group will no longer converge on Isoya Ogbo, Ijebu home of Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

A move that effectively strip him (Adebanjo) of his leadership status as Fasoranti will not oversee the meetings of the organisation.

He also rejected the insinuations that he was paid to endorse Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that he has been a man of principle all his life.

Reacting to the development, Adebanjo
insisted that he remains the leader of the socio-political group.

He made this known in a chat with Daily Independent.

Adebanjo who scoffed at Fasoranti’s statement said they will be waiting to see who will attend any Afenifere meeting in Akure, home of Pa Fasoranti.

“No problem. Let them hold the meetings in Akure and see the number of people that will attend”.

“I am the leader of Afenifere. They are just trying to cause confusion and I won’t help them to do that. If he says people should not come”.

It could be recalled that while Pa Fasoranti endorsed Tinubu as the choice of Afenifere, Adebanjo gave his blessings to Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).