Pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Monday, again, restated support for the presidential candidacy of Labour Party’s Peter Obi, saying it won’t compromise its cherished principles of justice, equity and inclusiveness.
Afenifere’s leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, stated this at a press conference held at the Wheatbaker Hotel in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, South-West Nigeria.
The 94-year-old Adebanjo said to keep Nigeria one in 2023, every Nigeria should be “Obi-Datti compliant”. Obi is running for Aso Rock’s top job alongside Datti Baba-Ahmed.
Pa Adebanjo gives more analysis on why Peter Obi is the right choice, he said “The South-West 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 South-East have 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 marginalize and exclude them from the power dynamic.
“Peter Obi is the person of Igbo extraction that Afenifere has decided to support and to back, he is the man we trust to restructure the country back to federalism on the assumption of office.
“We will not compromise this principle of justice, equity and inclusiveness because one of our own Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a frontline candidate."
While soliciting for support to Obi, he said “We enjoin the labour movement, students, youth organisations, women associations, and every institution whose foundation is built on fairness and justice to join hands in this task of enthroning a democratic government by supporting Peter Obi.
“If we are sincere and honest about keeping Nigeria together in peace, the slogan henceforth should be ‘To keep Nigeria one, everyone should be Obi/Datti compliant."