2023: Tinubu is Afenifere’s choice, not Peter Obi – Fasoranti counters Adebanjo

Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Chairman of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has said the group never endorsed the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, for the 2023 presidential election.

It was earlier reported that a leader of the Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo had accused the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu of bribing some people to create the impression that there is conflict in Afenifere.

There seems to be a fraction in Afenifere after some of its leaders publicly endorsed Tinubu on Sunday.

Meanwhile, on behalf of the organisation, Adebanjo had endorsed Obi, insisting that the South-East should produce the next President for the sake of fairness.

Reacting to Adebanjo’s comment, Fasoranti, in an interview he granted to online television, said Adebanjo lacks the capacity to warn me not to welcome Tinubu.

He said he (Fasoranti) was still the leader of the Afenifere, who had such power.

He said, “I’m still the leader of Afenifere. Afenifere has not endorsed Obi, we are endorsing Jagaban (Bola Tinubu) for the presidency.

“As you can see, the trend, the approval and the acceptability. You could see what happened when Tinubu came to meet me in Akure. Media carried the whole thing. Adebanjo does not have the capacity to warn me not to welcome Tinubu. Can he do that successfully?

“What happened was that Adebanjo took a stand and I took a stand. I didn’t call him and he didn’t call me. We never spoke about the (Tinubu’s) visit. As you can see, Jagaban is accepted and we approve of him. Obi has no stand in our mind at all.”