A political group in Nigeria has described the breakaway Yoruba group, Afenifere, as a faction of the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Initiative to Save Democracy (ISD) said the actions and utterances of the group has been largely in line with that of the opposition party, noting that, since their presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, lost at the Supreme Court they have been bitter.
“It is an abomination for this group to claim that they represent Yorubas in any way. They are just an opposition arm who is working for money. They are political mercenaries and nothing more,” Oladele Peter, Press Secretary of ISD said in a statement.
Mr Peter said Yorubas are supposed to protect the interests of Yorubas but instead this breakaway Afenifere group is only concerned about bringing down their own people.
“Their statements and actions are divisive, they are never happy when a Yoruba man or woman is doing well, these are not the ethos of an Omoluabi. They are the first to criticize including tell lies against Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and any other Yoruba person in government or private sector succeeding.
“How then can they claim they are a pan-Yoruba group when in the real sense they are anti-Yoruba all the way. They never see anything good in what their own people do; I think it’s why people don’t accord them any respect anymore.
ISD said the breakaway Afenifere should think deep and take a cue from those using them for dirty jobs. “This group should ask their paymaster why people and groups from the north of the country do not criticize President Buhari every day? Even their paymaster who is sending them to do the dirty job does not criticize or lie against the President? that should tell them something.
“A Yoruba adage says it’s a slave’s child that we send to do a slave’s job, this means that this group called Afenifere as we know them today are nothing but errand boys, people sent to do ridiculous things for personal gains.
ISD stressed that Yorubas must learn to come together to lift the head of their own. “You will never find northerners insulting themselves everyday irrespective of their differences because they have learnt the act of lifting each other when it matters most.
The group urged Nigerians to stay away from the negative energy that the breakaway Afenifere is bringing with it, stressing that, it will only drag Nigeria and Yorubas back.
“Yorubas must do more, we must help each other and not drag each other down whether it is at home or abroad. We must know the home we have come from and we should at all times emulate the ethos of Omoluabi.”
The group added that it is a shame that the spokesperson of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, does not understand the constitution and has refused to educate himself. “According to our constitution, the President is mandated to handover to the Vice President if he will be away from the country for 21 days or more but the spokesperson of this group doesn’t know that.
The group urged Nigerians to be cautious and weary of divisive statements and fake news peddled by individuals and groups for selfish gains.
