Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the September 22 governorship election in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has said Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, by-passed the principle of fair hearing by saying he acted at variance in his decision to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the rerun election.
Afenifere, has suspended Omisore, alleging that he acted in contravention to the position of the group’s leadership during the rerun election in Osun State as he supported APC.
It was gathered that Afenifere leaders were in support of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, during the rerun election and directed Omisore to support him (Adeleke), but he declined.
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Specifically, a leader of the group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, was said to have visited Omisore at his Ile-Ife country home and he (Omisore) reportedly assured the elder-statesman that he would work for the PDP.
Omisore’s suspension was contained in a communique issued at the end of Afenifere’s meeting, held at the residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, Ondo State.
In his reaction, Omisore said Afenifere by-passed the principle of fair hearing by saying he acted at variance in his decision to support the APC at the rerun election.
Omisore noted that SDP passed a resolution to work with APC in Osun State and said he acted in consonance with the arrangement, adding that Osun SDP is not an affiliate of Afenifere in any form.
He also said he was not given any directive and added that it might be an oversight on the part of Afenifere.
According to the communique read by Chief Korede Duyile, Omisore erred by supporting APC in the rerun election.
While reviewing the controversy over the academic qualifications of President Muhammadu Buhari for the office of the president, Afenifere said the controversy touches on the core of the moral fibre of the country.
“In view of the confusion, Afenifere believes that the onus on Buhari is to produce the document to retain his claim of being a man of integrity and being eligible to contest the 2019 election .
“Afenifere also express concerns over the spate of insecurity in the country in spite of security being one of the three cardinal claims of focus by the Buhari’s administration.
“The country has been troubled by herdsmen terrors in different communities and kidnappings across the country as well as in the abduction and killing.
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“We have also witnessed how Kaduna State whose Governor, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, once boasted of paying off criminals, has become virtually ungovernable with the recent Kasuwan Magani massacre that led to the death of about 100 persons and the attendant spill over crisis.
“We are worried that there has been no coordinated response on the part of the federal government to these needless loss of precious lives just as it continues to ignore calls for the overhaul of the country’s security architecture with a restructured polity to guarantee greater security of lives and property,” Duyile said.