The pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has reiterated its support for Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, stressing that, its decision was based on principles of fairness and equity.
Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the acting leader of the foremost Yoruba group on Monday noted that other geopolitical zones in Nigeria have produced either president or vice president but the Southeast is yet to do so.
He noted that Afenifere would not support Bola Tinubu simply because he was a Yoruba man but would support a candidate based on justice, equity and inclusiveness.
“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 has 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,” the Afenifere acting leader said.
Adding that, “Peter Obi is the person of Igbo extraction that Afenifere has decided to support and 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. It is on this same principle we condemn the Peoples Democratic Party for sponsoring Atiku Abubakar, a northern Fulani Muslim to succeed General Muhammadu Buhari another Fulani Muslim.”
Chronicle NG reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) kicked against the Afenifere’s decision to support Obi, claiming that he is the leader of Ohanifere and not Afenifere.
