Pa Adebanjo stood for fairness, justice – Pogu 

National President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Dr Bitrus Pogu, has joined streams of Nigerians in paying glowing tribute to the leader of Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, who passed earlier in the day.

Pogu described Pa Adebanjo as a true statesman committed to the pursuit of fairness and equity in the polity.

He recalled how Pa Adebanjo stood his ground in support of the need to cede the exalted seat of the presidency to the Southeast geopolitical zone, despite his Yoruba ethnic background, to buttress his assertion.

He said: “The passing away of Pa Adebanjo shook all of us because this is somebody who we relate with on a regular basis. He was one of the most principled persons I have met in my life. At that age, that old man would not do anything just to compromise for whatever reason.

“You can see how he behaved when we decided as a team that we were going to go for equity, fairness, and justice for the presidency of this country. As a Yoruba man, he came out and said this thing is supposed to go to the South East.

“He said we have not had a South Easterner as a President, so it should go there, and he stood his ground in spite of all the opposition from his home. He remained a principled person, basing his judgment on equity, fairness, and justice. You can hardly find that type of person in Nigeria today.

“He has been our role model, and any time we meet as a team—that is, Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndigbo, PANDEF, and Middle Belt Forum—we always wait to hear what Pa Adebanjo has to say because he has the final say.

“And he will never compromise on anything less than the best, the right, and the correct thing to do. Not only Afenifere would miss that man, but that man is a great loss to Nigeria, and we in the Middle Belt have lost a friend.

“Our youth group gave him an honour, and we took the plaque to his house on the 9th of December last year, just barely two months ago. We sat down and had some nice time with him. It shook all of us that such a great, great colossus had departed the scene.

“The political structure of the southwest would certainly feel the effect, and the political space in the whole country will feel the effect of his demise. The two of them, himself and Pa Edwin Clark, just one year apart, have continued to be an inspiration to us. And my heart is heavy; I just pray that God will bring up others to fill the gap he has left behind. I must be honest with you, Pa Adebanjo is somebody we really and dearly miss.”