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Demands peaceful polls, stronger action against bandits, supports anti-open grazing laws
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The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has formally endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office.
The organisation also urged Nigerians to support his re-election bid in the 2027 presidential election.
These were contained in a seven-point communiqué issued at the end of the Afenifere Caucus meeting held at the Akure residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, on Tuesday.
The communiqué, made available to journalists on Thursday by the organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Jare Ajayi, said the meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the Afenifere Executive Committee, Oba Olu Falae.
The meeting was attended by the group’s representatives from Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Kogi, Osun and Ondo states.
Among those present were former Secretary-General of Afenifere, Basorun Seinde Arogbofa; former Ondo State governor, Dr Segun Mimiko; and former Osun State deputy governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
Fasoranti blessed the meeting before directing Falae to preside over the deliberations.
Afenifere said its decision followed its review of the Tinubu administration and the current political situation in the country.
According to the group, the President was committed to restructuring Nigeria, strengthening the economy, deepening democracy and tackling insecurity.
The organisation also demanded an immediate and aggressive security operation to flush out criminal elements from the forests and borderlands of Oyo State and other parts of the country.
In endorsing Tinubu, Afenifere said it had a strong belief that the President was committed to restructuring Nigeria to enhance economic prosperity and inclusivity, deepen democracy, tackle insecurity and criminality, restore hope and make the country one that citizens would be proud of.
The endorsement came days after Afenifere’s then Secretary-General, Sola Ebiseni, publicly declared support for Tinubu’s second-term bid and resigned his membership of the Labour Party (LP).
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The Yoruba group expressed grave concern over what it described as recent treasonable threats by bandits and terrorists to disrupt the forthcoming general elections, reportedly raised during meetings involving the Department of State Services and some religious groups in Osun State. It warned that Nigeria’s democratic process must not be derailed by criminal elements.
Afenifere charged the Federal Government and security agencies to decisively eliminate threats capable of disrupting the elections and create a peaceful environment for voting.
It equally appealed to politicians and other stakeholders to ensure peace before, during and after the polls, insisting that electioneering must be free from violence, thuggery and character assassination.
The organisation also condemned the recent attack on a military/security base along the Igbeti-Igboho Road in Oyo State and other attacks in the Middle Belt and North-East.
Armed men attacked the Operation Burst base, a joint-security outfit of the Oyo State Government, along the Igbeti-Igboho axis on September 13, setting part of the facility and a patrol vehicle ablaze. Reports also said a generator and motorcycle were taken away, while no death was recorded.
Following the attack, the Oyo State Government announced the arrest of five suspected terrorists and the deployment of 120 soldiers to track the fleeing attackers.
Afenifere called for an immediate and aggressive security sweep of the affected axis to permanently flush out criminal elements hiding in borderlands and surrounding forests. It also called for alleged collaborators of bandits to be investigated and for sponsors of illegal mining to be profiled.
The organisation expressed concern over allegations that some people were allegedly forced from their ancestral lands by bandits, only for mining activities to commence soon after their displacement.
Afenifere also urged the Federal Government to support state governments that have enacted anti-open grazing laws, saying they should be enabled to enforce the laws without further delay or encumbrances.
It said its position was informed by reports of persistent farmer-herder clashes in remote border communities and fringes of Yorubaland, particularly in Kwara, Ondo, Osun and Ogun states. It specifically mentioned Ibarapa, Egbeda and Oke-Ogun areas of Oyo State as places where the clashes remained a concern.
The meeting also renewed Afenifere’s commitment to promoting the Yoruba language and ensuring that it is more widely spoken and used in verbal and literary communication.
It announced plans to roll out programmes towards achieving the objective, including the establishment of a Yoruba Language Renaissance Trust Fund. The organisation said the initiative was aimed at strengthening the use and preservation of Yoruba language.
