From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
From all indications, the 2023 general election will be like no other witnessed in the long history of Nigeria’s democracy. The people are certainly going to witness a lot of political theatrics. One of the interesting events is the trending controversy over the parallel endorsement of the two prominent southern presidential candidates by the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere.
Almost through last week, the entire Yoruba race was literally polarized after the retired Afenifere leader, Pa Rueben Fasoranti presided an event in his house in Ondo which looked like the endorsement of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The development came long after the acting leader of Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo flanked by other members at a press conference in Lagos endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP), Mr Peter Obi.
Since the recent event in Ondo, no day has passed without the major gladiators of the apex socio-political group expressing disagreements over which of the two candidates should have the blessing of the South West region.
Many are worried that at the two elders in the centre of the controversy are Pa Ayo Adebanjo and Elder Reuben Fasoranti. The duo and their lieutenants have been at each other’s jugulars over the rightful Afenifere headship to endorse either Asiwaju Tinubu or Peter Obi.
Long before the recent controversy, Pa Adebanjo had consistently maintained that the South East geopolitical zone and specifically Peter Obi should be supported for reasons of fairness, justice and equity.
He had persistently argued that since the Igbo never took a shot at the presidency previously, the geopolitical zone should, on grounds of justice and fair play, be allowed first refusal to do so in this dispensation.
Shortly after Tinubu’s Akure endorsement debacle, Adebanjo, while exonerating himself of any complicity, had accused Fasoranti of collecting bribe, and even joked that should the LP candidate fail to win next year, he may probably be in his grave smiling at Nigerians suffering for voting whoever eventually emerges the President.
Pa Adebanjo, who took over as the leader of the Afenifere in March 2021 after 96-year old Fasoranti stepped down from the leadership of Afenifere, had consistently expressed his disavowal to Tinubu’s presidential bid.
While accusing Tinubu of bribing some members of Afenifere to cause division within the organisation, ahead of the 2023 election, he insisted that the association had already endorsed Obi for next year’s election based on principle.
“Tinubu bribed some people with little money to put up a show that there is a division in Afenifere. I won’t engage him and those he gave money to because we have already made our position clear that Peter Obi is our candidate. Obi as president will serve our interest better than Tinubu,” he insisted.
Explaining further why he is supporting Obi for the presidency, Adebanjo emphasised that it is based on an enshrined constitutional stipulation of principle of equity and federal character.
“The Southwest has produced a president and currently sits as vice president; the South-south has spent a total of six years in the presidency, but the Igbo people of the Southeast never tasted presidency in Nigeria, and now that the power is due back in the South, equity demands that it be ceded to the Igbo.
“We cannot continue to demand that the Igbo people remain in Nigeria, while we at the same time continue to brutally marginalise and exclude them from the power dynamics,” he quipped.
Subduing the pressures from his kinsmen to endorse Tinubu and in what appeared like pushing his desire for an Obi presidency too far, Adebanjo said: “Obi is the man to unite the country. The type of Nigeria we fought for, it is only Obi that can achieve it. The Obi administration will change the system, where you can be a governor without being a billionaire.
“Now, if you are not a billionaire, how can you become a governor? That is the system Obi wants to change. Can you become a president of the country without being a billionaire? So, if I am saying this at 94, it is not because of myself, but young people. If they turn deaf ears to me, they will be the ones to suffer and I will be enjoying myself in the grave.
“The Obi-Datti choice has no money to spend, but they will spend ideas. Let Nigerians take up their thinking cap, forget ethnicity and vote for the LP. Obi is the right man for the country,” he insisted.
But confirming what many interpreted as sentiment in the endorsement, Fasoranti, who spoke during the event through former scribe of the association, Basorun Sehinde Arogbofa, told Tinubu: “You are not just a Yoruba man but a Nigerian. When you become President, consider Nigeria in all you do, but never forget home.”
He also charged him further; “Our demands are what you know already. They are restructuring, security and fixing the economy. Our country is no longer safe. We want state police so that the country will be safe. We are in no doubt that Tinubu, as President of Nigeria, offers the best opportunity to produce a government that will usher in an era of hope, peace, security, harmony, gainful employment for the multitude, economic development, social and political stability. Don’t let us have any regret supporting you when you get there.”
Surprisingly, Pa Faroranti some days after the controversial event sent out a statement that he did not actually endorse Tinubu but merely prayed for him. He said that he would extend the same gesture to any other presidential candidate who asks for his blessings.
So, with the seeming endorsement of the APC presidential candidate, he may have only won the battle but not the war. Little wonder it has continued to generate the magnitude of controversy perhaps due to the seeming nature of underhand tactics deployed for the procurement.
Many Nigerians are still shocked over the revelation that the pseudo endorsement was procured through another Pan-Yoruba group, Conscience of Yoruba Nation (COYN), comprising politicians and prominent Yoruba leaders of thoughts in disguise as Afenifere.
Critics of the Tinubu candidacy likened the development to the alleged procurement of the services of ‘fake bishops’ to paint a picture of endorsement by the Christian community for Muslim-Muslim joint presidential ticket.
However, there are those who argue that the political strategy is not a scheme exclusively adopted by the ruling party. Previously, political parties’ presidential candidates have always used it as part of campaign tactics in every election by manipulating and lobbying groups, socio-cultural organisations, and even religious bodies for endorsement.
Only a few weeks ago, a similar controversial endorsement and denial played out between Anambra traditional rulers and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, which equally contributed in overheating the polity.
In the past and usually ahead of every major election circle, there had been such contrived endorsements. They come as million-man marches, royal blessings, youth support groups, ethnic nationality endorsements, and many more.
The strategy has equally given rise to several political parties endorsing one presidential candidate or the other; traditional rulers and socio-political and socio-cultural organisations like the Arewa Consultative Forum, Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere, Ijaw or South-south Elders Consultative Forum praying for a particular presidential candidate.
Many agree that it has become an acceptable political culture in Nigeria for associations and institutions, including Christians and Muslim faithful, to identify and throw their weights behind one presidential candidate or the other during every election season.
In fact, endorsement, as a political campaign, has become as old as Nigeria’s democracy. However, what has gained popularity in today’s Nigerian political space was popularised at the beginning of the Fourth republic when all the then five political parties declined to field presidential candidates, preferring to endorse then military Head of State, late General Sani Abacha, as the sole presidential candidate for the election.
The Nigeria political lexicon was enriched through the then strange two-million man march and popular Youth Earnestly Ask for Abacha (YEAA) endorsement strategy, a political campaign led by Daniel Kanu in 1997 to urge General Abacha to self-succeed himself.
But as popular as such endorsements as political strategies have become, the unresolved issue is to what extent has it influenced the voting pattern or swayed votes to the candidates during the election.
Beyond that of late Sani Abacha, who could not actualise his dream before death took him away, a case in point was the contest between former president Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae during the 1999 presidential election. Despite the endorsement the same Pan-Yoruba socio-political association gave to Falae, Obasanjo eventually emerged winner.
Another recent case also was during the 2015 presidential election. Then President Goodluck Jonathan had secured the highest number of endorsements from religious, traditional, and ethnic institutions far more than his opponent, the then-candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, but Jonathan lost at last.
Apparently, from all indications, these endorsements seem to be mainly transactional, laced with monetary inducements. In the estimation of critical observers, endorsements have become a profitable venture for cashing out by some persons.
Otherwise, how do you justify the alleged humongous amount of money that allegedly exchanged hands as a form of lobbying? The legal trial of certain chieftains of the PDP in connection with the disbursement of funds to certain individuals, religious and traditional institutions during the 2015 presidential election bear eloquent testimony to the economic benefits accruing from endorsements.
In the case of Afenifere, many Nigerians have criticised the gladiators for failing to observe due diligence and for being too hasty in their endorsements.
While some chastised them for not consulting widely among various Yoruba groups, others opined that they would have emulated the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) that provided a platform for all the leading presidential candidates to address them and extract commitment on Arewa’s interest, without endorsing any of them.
Reacting to this burning issue, a chieftain of the ruling party expressed disappointment during a chat with Daily Sun, over the disturbing dimension the endorsement saga has continued to take.
“Instead of getting more involved in this mundane controversial endorsement saga, which can only worsen the challenges facing our party and which may not translate into getting the desired votes for our party, I would prefer Asiwaju concentrates more energies on networking with the business community and Organised Private Sector (OPS).
“I was so impressed with the galaxy of personalities he assembled during the business meetings in both Kano and Lagos. Look at the calibre of persons in attendance, especially during the Lagos meeting.
“Apart from the over nine state governors, there were others like Aliko Dangote; Jim Ovia, Tony Elumelu; Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Herbert Wigwe; and other business leaders representing sectoral groups in agriculture, oil and gas, trade, manufacturing, and creative sector.
“Yes, our party needs all these interests for our vote bank, but with all these personalities from the business community at his disposal, what kind of endorsement from those socio-political associations does he need again? If you ask me, I will say enough of this controversy over endorsements,” he appealed.