Why Afenifere is yet to resolve crisis

When in October 2024, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi clocked 50 years, his palace was a beehive of activities with delegations from far and near paying visits as he celebrated his golden jubilee birth anniversary.

But what was striking during the period was two different delegations from Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation visiting the Ooni – one from Baba Fasoranti and the other from Pa Ayo Adebanjo.

Baba Adebanjo’s delegation was led by the deputy leader of the group, Oba Oladipo Olaitan. In attendance were Chief Supo Shonibare, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, Balogun Akin Osuntokun, Adebayo Adenekan, Prince Justice Faloye, Mrs Toyin Falade, Mr Olusegun Babalola and others.

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The following day, Tuesday, October 22, another Afenifere delegation was led by one of the chieftains of the organisation, Senator (Dr) Femi Okunrounmu.

Those in the delegation included Otunba Gbenga Daniel, a former Ogun State governor; Senator Iyiola Omisore; Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu; General Olu Bajowa (retd); Oba Solomon Owoniyi, the Obaro of Kabba, Kogi State; Oba Adeniyi Ogunbiyi, the Akire of Epe; Oba Adebayo Adewole, the Owa Ajero of Ijero.

Comrade Jare Ajayi, who serves as the national publicity secretary of the Fasoranti group, said the delegation delivered a message of felicitation to the monarch.

Beyond Ooni’s birthday, what was glaring from the episode is the crack in the rank of the socio-political group, which was once renowned for its far-reaching influence in the South-West and other Yoruba-speaking communities across the country.

Formed 73 years ago from the vestige of the defunct Action Group (AG), a political party founded by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, former Premier of the then Western Region, it was described as a movement committed to the greatest welfare of the people as enunciated by Chief Awolowo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), under the philosophical caption of Egalitarianism, Life More Abundant.

As the first premier of the defunct Western Region, Awolowo’s welfarism agenda stood him out among leaders of his time. His free education policy was novel.

Afenifere is widely believed to be an extension of the Action Group, advancing its welfarism agenda. It has always been the voice of the South-West. At every election cycle, Afenifere’s voice was always heard, endorsing candidates and political parties.

But the socio-political group is in tatters following recent cracks among its members, triggered by the 2023 electioneering when its leadership opposed the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Prior to the declaration of intent by Tinubu, the leader of the group, Pa Fasoranti, had stepped down in March 2021 and handed over to Pa Ayo Adebanjo, another founding member.

The 98-year-old Fasoranti had cited old age as the reason for his decision and handed over the mantle of leadership to Adebanjo in acting capacity.

At a meeting held on March 16, 2021 in Akure, the Ondo State capital and attended by prominent members, Fasoranti formally presented Adebanjo as the new leader of the group.

He specifically hailed Adebanjo, saying, “Chief Adebanjo’s efforts stand him out as a deep lover of Afenifere and Yoruba people. He has been in the trenches all his life. He is dedicated to the Yoruba race and Afenifere, which his name is almost synonymous with. I thank you Chief Ayo Adebanjo. I deeply appreciate you.

“At this juncture, I am proud to announce Chief Ayo Adebanjo a politician of the Awolowo school of thought as the acting leader of Afenifere, and Oba Oladipo Olaitan, the Alaago of Kajola Ago, Atakumosa East Local Government Area Ilesa, Osun State, as deputy leader. There is much work to do; so I urge you all to support them, even more than you did for me. I remain a loyal and lifelong Afenifere till demise.”

Right from the onset, Adebanjo had not hidden his opposition to a Tinubu presidency; and this was more like a precursor to the battle ahead.

In April 2021, about a month after Pa Fasoranti stepped down as the Afenifere leader, the South-West Agenda (SWAGA), one of the many Tinubu’s support groups ahead of the 2023 electioneering, led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye, was in Akure, the home of Fasoranti, as part of its consultation for Tinubu, where the elder statesman purportedly endorsed Asiwaju for the 2023 presidency.

Afenifere quickly issued a disclaimer denying the endorsement. The group’s director of communications, Sola Lawal, said they were still mourning the demise of their publicity secretary, Yinka Odumakin, in whose honour they suspended all engagements.

Lawal also pointed out that the 96-year-old Pa Fasoranti had taken a “deserved rest when he formally handed over to Chief Adebanjo after leading the group for 12 years,” so the former couldn’t have spoken for Afenifere during the visit of SWAGA to his Akure home.

“Adeyeye’s foray into the Afenifere space at this period of huge loss and intense mourning is disrespectful, insensitive and unwarranted,” he said.

It was clear from the beginning that Adebanjo’s group was not going to endorse Tinubu for presidency, while a section of Afenifere believed that it was the turn of the Yoruba for presidency.

While the Adebanjo-led faction refused to endorse Tinubu, those who aligned with Fasoranti met several times at his residence to give blessing Asiwaju’s presidential ambition.

The crisis got messier after the 2023 elections when Pa Adebanjo sacked some national officers of the group, including the national publicity and organising secretary, Kole Omololu.

However, in what appears like a coup, the Fasoranti group fought back early in 2024, and in January, it abrogated the office of its acting leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, effectively sacking him while affirming the leadership of Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

During a meeting at the Ijapo residence of Fasoranti in Akure, leaders of the group unanimously moved the motion to abrogate the dual positions of the acting leader and his deputy.

The motion, which was first moved by Dr S.J Ibikunle from Ogun State, was seconded by members of the group from Ekiti, Kwara, Oyo and Ondo states.

They, however, declared that the responsibilities and authority of advising the leader of the group would now be vested in the Afenifere Elders Caucus. The Fasoranti group also reportedly reversed the sack of the national publicity secretary and national secretary.

After abrogating his office, Adebanjo was then listed as part of the Elders’ Caucus with other members, including Oba Olu Falae; Senator C. O Adebayo; Senator Femi Okunrounmu; Basorun Seinde Arogbofa; Senator Kofo Bucknor Akerele; Arch Bishop Prince Ayo Ladigbolu; Lt-Gen Alani Ipoola Akinrinade; Maj-Gen Olu Bajowa (retd); Prof Bolaji Akinwande Akinyemi; Prof Banji Akintoye; Otunba Dr S A J Ibikunle, among others.

But Adebanjo insisted that he remained the leader as a follow-up meeting at his home town passed a vote of confidence on his leadership.

Since then, Afenifere has remained divided, with two groups issuing conflicting statements in the name of the organisation. For instance, in the case involving Aare Afe Babalola, SAN and Dele Farotimi, there were two conflicting statements from the group.

Weekend Trust reports that in its over 70 years of existence, Afenifere has faced several existential threats and balkanisation. For instance, the formation of Afenifere Renewal Group in 2008 was a product of factionalisation.

Known for speaking truth to power and being a voice for the South-West, Afenifere is what the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) is to the North, Ohanaeze Ndigbo to the South-East and the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) to the North-Central. However, recent factionalisation has weakened the group.

While Prince Justice Faloye, the national publicity secretary of the group, in recent times issued statements that were critical of the government, the other faction, through Comrade Jare Ajayi, was less critical of the Tinubu administration.

Analysts said the division had reduced the influence of the group in the country’s political firmament.

Adebanjo remains leader

In a chat with our correspondent, Chief Supo Sonibare insisted that Baba Adebanjo remained the leader of the socio-political group, adding, “Afenifere continues to propagate the covenant of progressive political prescriptions to foster the emergence of democratic socialism. That’s what the name connotes. Afenifere is led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo. It is not a Yoruba irredentist group and will continue to speak truth to power, irrespective of who wields the reins of power.”

He recalled that Afenifere performed its role as a watchdog when Obasanjo was in power.

Sonibare added, “It did the same during the tenure of his successors. It will continue to do the same during the tenure of President Tinubu. Afenifere has had to face machinations of successive federal governments to factionalise the group, in its quest for devolution and restructuring the polity.

“All these machinations were unsuccessful in the past and shall continue to be an exercise in futility. It will not allow itself to be reduced to an ethnic irredentist group having a fixation with xenophobia. It is an ideological, politically partisan group. It will continue to agitate for a fairer society and the reduction of the exclusive federal legislative list to a shorter list as contained in our Independence and Republican constitution.”

Weekend Trust reports that a former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, had taken up the challenge to reconcile the two factions. He was said to have made far-reaching consultations in that regard, but at the time of filing this report, the outcome of his efforts was not clear. Our correspondent reached out to him for comment without success.

A political scientist, Professor Gbade Ojo, who is familiar with the history of Afenifere, recalled that the group had not been united, right from the era of Awolowo. He said it was in the interest of the two factions to come together to strengthen the group to continue to serve its purpose as the voice of the Yoruba race.

He said, “The moment politics came in, the group became divided.

“As an ethnic group, the Yoruba are sufficiently educated, such that no individual has the political strength to tell the people where they should cast their ballot. Yoruba voted according to their conscience. Unfortunately, the voice of Afenifere has become so weakened that they don’t have a common front any more. Their respect seems to have waned considerably.”

Ojo added, “In a country like Nigeria that is deeply divided and plural, it is better for ethnic groups to have a focus and leadership—those that can think ahead with foresight and struggle for the benefit of the group.

“For now, the Yoruba don’t have that. Ohanaeze is still very strong despite the problem they have with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The Arewa Group is there, Kaduna Mafia and others in the North, but the Yoruba seem to be divided.”