The head of Afenifere, a pan Yoruba socio-political association, chief Ayo Adebanjo has opened up on why he chose to combine efforts with previous President Olusegun Obasanjo to embrace the official competitor of the Work Party, Mr. Peter Obi, to win the 2023 official political decision.
Goldennewsng reports that Adebanjo told Punch in an interview that their support for Obi was for a better Nigeria.
In an interview with Punch on Friday, Adebanjo, who had endorsed Obi as their preferred candidate on behalf of Afenifere, said that his disagreements with Obasanjo in the past were not personal and that they were united in their desire for Obi to become president.
During the course of the week, a video surfaced that shows Obasanjo, Adebanjo, Obi, and others visiting the family of the late Minister of Aviation, Mbazulike Amechi, who passed away on November 1, 2022, at the age of 93.
Obasanjo, who referenced no name while talking at the social occasion, said, “What I accept and what I accept that Boss Ayo Adebanjo accepts isn’t ethnic, sectional or strict, it is Nigeria and Nigerians. I ask, “What are you thanking me for?” when I go out and people say thanks to me. and I ask them to stop thanking me, I tell them. Why should you give me a thank you?
“Equity, justice, and a single Nigeria are my beliefs. I have given my life for this nation. I have gone to jail for this nation, so the thing would you say you will scare or undermine me with? My senior brother, pointing to Adebanjo, has not done anything other than go to prison and not shed any blood. That’s all we need to know.
But Adebanjo came in and said, “You have not shed your blood, you only attempted to, because you are still alive,” which made the audience and him laugh. In his pidgin English, Obasanjo quickly responded, “What of the blood I shed at the war front? As he pointed to and veiledly referred to his private parts, he said, “I can show you where it hit me and nearly touched the wrong place.” The audience also burst into laughter when he responded.
“The problem we have right now is not ethnic, it is national,” Obasanjo continued. Character is, in my opinion, the first quality a leader should possess. The issue we have had over the course of the years is that we don’t have pioneers who have the right sort of character for which they ought to be endowed with an influential position. Therefore, if I pinpoint anything, it is because comparing them to one another reveals merit that would be beneficial.
Adebanjo, who had previously criticized Obasanjo for some of his actions while he was president, stated, “What unites us is Nigeria,” while speaking with Sunday PUNCH. There was no personal issue when I disagreed with him. It was about Nigeria, and we agree that it should have been better. Obi is the man, everyone agreed. We are friends because of that. We also made this clear to the people in the East. We were able to demonstrate the significance of Obi’s election victory in the Nigerian question. This one is agreed upon by everyone, regardless of their disagreements.
“That is to demonstrate to you that we elderly people share one thing: consolidate Nigeria’s unity. We are not going back in time; that won’t help us right now. Making amends for all the evil things that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has done will help us. government has carried out When at his best, Buhari is the worst administration we have had in 20 years, the man (Buhari) is telling us he has done his best.
In addition, in his evaluation of the campaigns to date, he stated that, in contrast to the APC presidential candidates, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; and that of Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party; only Obi’s campaigns had been based on issues.
He stated, “That is the truth, but Obi has been running issues-based campaigns. Not all of them have been having issues-based (campaigns).” He has been extremely consistent in his plans. Atiku’s people are also attacking people, while Tinubu’s people are abusing them.”
