‘You’re Answerable To Us’ – Afenifere Sends Message To Tinubu On Restructuring Nigeria

The Pan-Yoruba social political group, Afenifere, has declared that the blueprint for restructuring Nigeria is ready, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has no excuse not to implement it, having been elected on the group’s platform and ideology.

Naija News reports that the Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists after the group’s caucus meeting held at Isanya Ogbo Ijebu, the Ogun State residence of Pa Ayo Adebanjo, a factional leader of Afenifere.

The meeting, which was presided over by Adebanjo equally had in attendance Oba Oladipo Olaitan, the Deputy leader of the group, Chief Supo Sonibare, Treasurer, Chief Mrs Kofoworola Bucknor, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Prince Justice Faloye, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Chief Segun Ojo, Bashorun Segun Sanni, among others.

The body hinged its restructuring blueprint on the adoption of a parliamentary system of government for Nigeria and called on the Tinubu-led administration to adopt the blueprint.

The group said Tinubu, before his election, was at the vanguard of the call for the restructuring of the country, but there was silence during Muhammadu Buhari’s administration because the Northerners had assumed that the implementation would not favour them.

Afenifere said, “Sometimes last year November, a committee under the leadership of Oba Oladipo Olaitan was set up to aggregate Afenifere’s view on restructuring and today (Tuesday), the committee said that the report is ready.

“However, this report will still be considered by the executives of the association, after which it will be taken to the general assembly where all the members will get to know what we stand on restructuring as Afenifere, and we shall then print the report, do our various publicity on it for people to be enlightened on what we believe on restructuring.

“Tinubu himself is a product of Afenifere, he was elected on the platform and ideology of Afenifere. He took the federal government to court under the leadership of former President Obasanjo for 31 times in an effort to implement restructuring.

“He didn’t do anything when former President Buhari was there for eight years, probably he was bidding his time because he knew that northerners won’t implement restructuring because they thought it won’t favour them.

“But Tinubu is there now as the President, he is answerable to us all as a product of Afenifere and as what the whole Yoruba did under the Afenifere in Adamasingba, Ibadan, Oyo State in 2017 that what we want is nothing but restructuring.

“For this 2017 meeting, we invited the South South, South East and the Middle Belt and this is the beginning of what we called Southern and Middlebelt Leaders Forum.

“So we are still meeting at this forum when other zones will also submit their recommendations. So what we took to 2014 Confab is what we are submitting even though some things have changed. We will then take it before the National Assembly for their approval.”