Afenifere Welcomes Tinubu’s Victory, Demands Creation of State Police

The pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has said the victory of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a step towards the realisation of power shift to the South in 2023.

The organisation said this in a statement on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, while reacting to Tinubu’s victory at the All Progressives Congress presidential.orimary election.

He said Afenifere and some other groups had been at the forefront of power shift and also used the occasion to demand for restructuring and creation of state police to tackle the insecurity in the country

Afenifere’s statement read, “It is a known fact that the Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum, of which Afenifere is a key member, has been in the forefront of those advocating that power must shift to the southern part of Nigeria come 2023.

“For power to move to the South, there must be southern candidate or candidates. That was why we were strident in our calls on the political parties to field southern candidates in the forthcoming presidential election.

” By electing former Lagos State Governor, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to fly its flag, the All Progressives Congress has met that minimum condition of fielding a southern candidate.

“Return to true federalism through the restructuring of the country has been an article of faith for Afenifere for a long time.

“It is our hope, indeed our demand, that the next president must get the country restructured immediately on assumption of office if the present administration under retired General Muhammadu Buhari failed to do so before leaving office.

“Not only that, the next administration owes us the duty of ensuring that the country is not only safe for everybody, the operational system must be such that no section or group would be in a position to dominate the other.

“In summing up, the emergence of a person of southern extraction is highly welcomed. It is our hope that this will translate into power shifting to the South come 2023.”

He also said that in the meantime, the suffocating insecurity situation in the country must be tamed immediately by, among other things, allow for the establishment of State Police right now.

The group also called on the government to put a stop to the kid glove manner with which bandits and terrorists are being treated by the Federal Government today.