‘Adebanjo’s rejection of Tinubu, a vendetta,’ says Yoruba group

The Congress for Rights of Yoruba Nationalities (CROYN) has declared that the promoter of Ohanifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, was not driven by any nationalistic instinct, principle or altruism as he wanted the Yoruba people and Nigerians to believe in his “vindictive and conspiratorial engagement with the South-East’s Ohanaeze Ndigbo over the 2023 presidential election.”

CROSYN, in a statement by its National Chairman, Abiodun Fanoro and General Secretary, Tunde Aiyenumelo, urged Adebanjo to refrain from further taking undue advantage of Yoruba’s culture of respect for elders in the pursuit of his narrow and selfish political enterprise, which he had fell out with in 2003, when Tinubu was Lagos State Governor. According to the group, Tinubu refused to be cajoled to sell the state to then President Olusegun Obasanjo who had successfully bought over the leadership of “Adebanjo faction of Afenifere.”

The group noted that what Adebanjo was touting as nationalistic ideology, principle of fairness, justice and equity, was “a continuation of his personal vendetta against President Muhammadu Buhari/Tinubu as Buhari’s promoter in 2014 when Adebanjo, using his faction of Afenifere, vindictively worked against Buhari/Tinubu and strongly backed then President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.”

The group also revealed that Adebanjo had never forgiven Tinubu for the role he played in the emergence of the late Pa Ayo Fasanmi’s faction of Afenifere and for remaining one of the main financiers till today and also with the formation of the youth-wing Afenifere Renewal Group, led by Asiwaju’s admirer and follower, Wale Osun.

“Is it not an act of mischief and malice pointedly directed against Tinubu and APC when even Ohanaeze two days before the public unveiling of the Ohanifere contraption said publicly said it was yet to adopt or anoint any presidential candidate (including Peter Obi) or any political party. So, why is Pa Adebanjo crying more than the bereaved if there is nothing personal and mischievous about the whole jamboree?

“Pa Adebanjo’s Afenifere has made it its policy to work against Asiwaju Tinubu regardless of the presence of Yoruba’s interest, long time ago when Tinubu foresaw the dead end awaiting Alliance for Democracy and led the move that resulted in the formation of Action Congress, which metamorphosed into Action Congress of Nigeria. Baba should therefore stop pretending and should know that we his children are old and enlightened enough to know and access all these facts of history.”

“We thank God for the grace of healthy old age he is enjoying, but at the same time, he should apologise to the Yoruba people that he failed to use this grace to attract any good thing, progress or development to the Yoruba nation. Baba watched how the Yoruba nation was not in the first 15th position in the country. Enough of his politics of retribution, night is here,” the group stated.