Afenifere Meets Obasanjo, Promises to Make Its Position on 2019 Elections Known

 

Yoruba socio-cultural group,  Afenifere, today promised to make its official position known on its most preferred presidential candidate among the arrays of contenders that have been picked by their respective political parties ahead the 2019 general election.

The group spoke through its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, shortly after it held an almost two-hour closed door meeting with former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

Emerging from the close-door meeting with Afenifere chieftains, which include Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Senator Femi Okurounmu, Prof. Banji Akintoye among others, Odumakin stated that they had come to reciprocate Obasanjo's recent visit to a nonagenarian, Pa Adebanjo, and to discuss the way forward for Nigeria.

According to him, while reiterating the group's position, he said without the issue of restructuring Nigeria might not move forward, adding that it (group) would soon declare its support for a presidential candidate whose programme will be geared in favour of restructuring.

"Few months ago, President Obasanjo came to Lagos to visit Baba Ayo Adebanjo with a crop of Yoruba leaders.

"Today, we are here to pay him a return visit and to appreciate him for the visit. And we are trying to further the friendship so that there would be harmony in Yorubaland.

"This will further allow our people to know that leaders across the divides are coming together to discuss and arrive at a position.

"2019 election race is going to be very exciting. Like the man of God said, ‘it's going to be an Eagle Versus an Eagle’.

"But the most important thing for us is the restructuring of Nigeria. Clearly, you should always know Afenifere will always stand with candidates that stand for Nigeria to be restructured. This is because without restructuring, we are going nowhere.

"You have heard someone saying the 2014 report has been kept in the archives, and another person saying Nigeria can be restructured and how to do it clearly.

"So, the choice is clear. There are no ‘if’ and ‘but’, but we know where to go.

"We are going to make a pronouncement very soon. But the pendulum is swinging, but we will know where it will swing to," Odumakin declared.