The Leader of pan-Yoruba cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has refused to recognize the administration of President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the government as non-existent.
Adebanjo spoke during an Arise TV interview monitored by THE WHISTLER refusing to comment on the performance of Tinubu about a month after he was sworn in as president.
The Afenifere leader held that the presidential elections have not been concluded with the ongoing Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
He said, “Afenifere’s stance for now is not to comment on Tinubu’s administration because we believe that the elections is not completed yet, it’s still in progress, that is why we are in court, so commenting on someone who is there and who we don’t believe should be there until the final decision of the court will be probative and reprobative.
“We are not talking about his ability, we are talking about the process of his getting there, which is flawed. How can you build something on nothing, he is enjoying a lacuna, nothing is settled until it’s finally settled, that’s our stance.
“I refuse to comment on somebody that is not existing yet until the final arbiter of the court, our party may be wrong but that is our own stance. I cant recognize him in an office that I believe don’t exist. Even if the court decides, we can still express opinions. The stance of Afenifere is that we want a free, fair and credible election and that’s what we are questioning. Even if he’s doing well, does that absolve the way he got there?” Adebanjo queried.
He added that the election of Tinubu was antithetical to the principle of power rotation, “Go and read why we support Obi, its not a question of his (Tinubu) ability or capability, its because a significant section of the country has been shortchanged, we are not paying lip service to a united Nigeria and that cannot be changed by any theory. So nothing is existing yet.”
Meanwhile, Adebanjo also clarified that Afenifere is not a socio-cultural organization, “We are a political party, called Action Group. We are a political party with a definite identity.”
