2023: ‘Disgrace For Tinubu Is Disgrace For Every Yoruba Man’ — Fani-Kayode Tells Afenifere

– Says Afenifere Opening Door For Atiku By Supporting Obi

Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, says there would be serious consequences if Afenifere fails to reconsider its decision to support a non-Yoruba candidate over “our son” Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

He said by supporting Peter Obi from the South East region, Afenifere will not only pave way for another northern president but may destroy the bond keeping the apex Yoruba socio-cultural organization and the South-West region together.

Fani-Kayode likened Afenifere’s endorsement of Obi to removing “the trousers of their own child before the world” to humiliate him, warning that “a defeat and disgrace for Tinubu is a defeat and a disgrace for every Yoruba man”.

The former minister said this against the backdrop of a disagreement that hit Afenifere after the group’s former leader, Reuben Fasoranti, endorsed Tinubu in opposition to the group’s current leader, Ayo Adebanjo, who had endorsed Peter Obi for the 2023 presidency.

Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Obi of the Labour Party (LP) are the two major candidates vying for president in the Southern region.

In the North, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso are the two leading contenders.

While Adebanjo had noted that his endorsement for Obi was done in the interest of justice and fairness, asked if Ohanaeze which is the apex Igbo socio-cultural group would “ever support and back a Yoruba presidential candidate over and above an Igbo one?”

Speaking in an article published on his website, Fani-Kayode said “You (Adebanjo) attempt to justify your position by saying that you base it on fairness, justice and equity but do they not say he who comes to equity must come with clean hands?” adding “Are Obi’s hands clean? Does he even like the Yoruba?”

The article partly reads: “I sincerely hope that our beloved leaders in Afenifere will think again.

“They know how much we love, revere and respect them and they must nurture and sustain that disposition and affection by displaying a little more flexiblity and respect for the views of others.

“The cost of supporting Obi is very high and may end up destroying the unity, efficacy, utility and credibility of the entire organisation itself.

“This is especially so when the old leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, has staged a comeback and has said he does not accept the decision of Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the new.

“If there was ever a time for the Yoruba to ‘Ronu’ this is it.

“There is nothing that is decent, noble, inspiring or elegant in seeing and hearing elderstatesman (sic) who are all over the age of 90 and all of whom we hold in high esteem, disagreeing and fighting publicly over issues that they ought to have been able to establish a broad and amicable consensus.

“We cannot and must not abandon our son Bola Tinubu at a time like this and this is especially so after he has done so much for our people and race over the years.

“A defeat and disgrace for Tinubu is a defeat and a disgrace for every Yoruba man in the country and in the wider world. Is that what Afenifere wants? To disgrace its own?

“Does it give them pleasure to remove the trousers of their own child before the world and humiliate him? Is a father not meant to protect and nurture the fortunes of his son? Did the father not forgive and take back even the prodigal son?

“Throwing away your own is not a virtue: it is a Vice. And doing so with pride and arrogance whilst attempting to justify it before the world with some kind of false and fake righteous indignation is unacceptable.

“It is not just, it is not right, it is not fair, it is not reasonable, it is not justifiable, it is not defensible and it looks very awkward and ugly.”