Former Leader of Afenifere, Reuben Fasoranti has said that the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation recognises the election of President-elect Bola Tinubu.
Fasoranti said this in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday.
He distanced himself from the position taken by the Ayo Adebanjo-led group at Isanya Ogbo, Ogun State, over Tinubu’s emergence as president-elect.
Fasoranti also voided the removal and suspension of two Afenifere officials, Messrs Jare Ajayi and Kole Omololu.
The Adebanjo-led Afenifere had suspended Ajayi and Omololu as National Publicity Secretary and National Organising Secretary respectively for issuing an “unauthorised statement” condemning the Chairman of Council of Elders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
On Tinubu’s emergence, Fasoranti stated that being a law-abiding organisation, Afenifere could not have asserted that someone, other than the person declared by the body duly authorised by the Constitution and other extant laws of the land, is the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
“My attention has been drawn to the Communique purportedly issued after a meeting that held on Tuesday, March 27, at Isanya Ogbo, Ogun State. This statement is being issued because of the content of the said document.
“Afenifere could not have asserted that someone, other than the person declared by the body duly authorized by the Constitution and other extant laws of the land, is the winner of the presidential election held on February 25, 2023 in Nigeria.
“The body mandated to conduct elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, after the completion of this year’s presidential election on February 25th, has declared the candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the winner of the said election.
“Our National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, issued a congratulatory message to the President-elect after he had been issued a Certificate of Return by INEC.
“This was cited as an ‘uncouth activity’ by the communiqué mentioned above which further stated that Abagun and Ajayi were ‘suspended sine die pending further decisions after their appearance before and recommendations by the Disciplinary Committee’. It means that the two were pronounced guilty and consequently sanctioned even before their appearance before a Disciplinary Committee.
Suspension of officials
“That is not the Afenifere way. A General Meeting does not have the power to convene and take such a far-reaching decision just at the whims of individuals. There must have been an official petition laid at the Caucus Meeting, which is referred to the Disciplinary Committee that will investigate and give the officers involved the opportunity to plead their cases.
“Reports and recommendations are then received by the Leaders-in-Council who then take a decision on the Report with The Leader before reverting to the Caucus in communication. This fiat approach as seen in the current situation is alien to our organisation and cannot stand.”
General election
“This type of position is alien to us in Afenifere which does not conduct itself as an agent of the state let alone as an electoral umpire. We accept the results of the elections at all levels as declared by INEC until otherwise decided by competent courts in the land.
“Presently, the whole world knows that Nigeria has a President-elect in the person of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a true Yoruba son and nationalist. We in Afenifere not only acknowledge this, but we also take delight in his in-coming Presidency and are confident that he will, by the grace of God, return Nigeria to the glorious position that all of us will be proud of.
“I also read in the said communiqué, the purported removal and suspension of the National Publicity Secretary and the National Organising Secretary of the organization in persons of Jare Ajayi and Abagun Kole Omololu.
“At no time was any of these officials reported to me as doing anything against what Afenifere stands for or doing anything against the interests of our race, the Yoruba. Thus, at no time was I informed that they were queried, warned or sanctioned for conducting themselves in a manner contrary to what Afenifere or the Yoruba stand for.
“Being an organisation that believes in justice and fairness; being an organisation that always maintains that those at the helms of affairs should follow the rule of law, Afenifere, our organisation, cannot just wake up and pronounce some officials removed and suspended without telling them what their offences are and giving them the opportunities to defend themselves.”
Adebanjo has not responded to the statement.
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