Essential Ndubuisi
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has said the Pan-Yoruba organization, Afenifere, did not endorse the presidential bid of Peter Obi, standard bearer of the Labour Party (LP).
The APC campaign council said the organisation’s leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo’s endorsement of Obi was a personal decision.
While expressing support for Obi in July, the Afenifere leader had said only the LP candidate would govern independently “without the influence of these criminals in the government”.
But in a statement at the weekend, the Director of Media and Publicity of APC Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, said: “Papa Ayo Adebanjo does not speak for Afenifere. He is free as an individual to support anyone he likes, in furtherance of his democratic right.
“We know for a fact that Baba has turned Afenifere into his personal estate, as Acting Leader. We are also certain that there was nowhere Afenifere, as we know it, met and took a decision to adopt Mr. Peter Obi as a candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
“We respect the age of Baba Adebanjo but he cannot turn Afenifere into his personal franchise for any political alliance.
“We are very much aware that Baba Reuben Fasoranti, the real leader of Afenifere, had stated clearly that Pa Adebanjo has always been speaking for himself on many national issues, using the name of the group.
“It is our well-considered position that Pa Adebanjo cannot appropriate Afenifere. Baba is just an individual who is free to support any politician of his choice. As an individual, he cannot equate himself with the socio-cultural and socio-political organisation.”
Also, a former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop criticising the APC over the exclusion of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo from the presidential campaign council.
On Saturday, spokesperson of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign, Daniel Bwala, hailed Osinbajo and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, for “rejecting” the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC.
