Fasoranti’s death: Rumbling in Yorubaland, a new Afenifere may emerge

• Old guard moves to form ‘Afenifere Independent’
• Oba Olaitan calls for truce
• Forceful acquisition of pan-Yoruba group is dead on arrival —Ex-spokesman
• ‘Without Adebanjo’s camp support for Peter Obi, Tinubu may not have been president’

By Dapo Akinrefon

The leadership crisis within the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, may be far from being over.

This is as a result of a factional camp asking other factions to unite behind the leadership of Oba Oladipo Olaitan.

But while most of the Fasoranti camp vowed to resist such a move, some of the old guards, it was gathered, plan to form another Afenifere.

Most of them, who belong to various factions, disagree over cultural succession norms and the potential emergence of a break-away Yoruba group. A source told Sunday Vanguard that discussions are ongoing to jettison both camps and start on a clean slate.

Multiple sources said there is a need to resuscitate Afenifere and give the Yoruba race a formidable platform.

A credible source informed Vanguard that while some members of the group are making moves to throw up what they called Afenifere Independent, the Akure camp is gearing up to name a former governor as Fasoranti’s successor.

The source said: “One thing I know is that the Akure camp will not approve that Oba Oladipo Olaitan emerges as Afenifere leader. I know who they are planning to name as Fasoranti’s successor. He is a former governor. The two camps cannot be united as it is and that is why some of us having made up our mind to come up with Afenifere Independent.”

Last week, following the death of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the Oba Olaitan camp formally announced the consolidation of its collective leadership under his (Olaitan’s) stewardship.

It said the transition was a tribute to Fasoranti’s legacy and a step towards promoting unity and defending Yoruba socio-political interests.

The factional National Publicity Secretary and Secretary-General, Prince Justice Faloye and Alade Rotimi-John respectively, said Olaitan had demonstrated sincerity of purpose and the capacity to champion the group’s interests while promoting national unity.

The statement read: “The modern history of the Yoruba people and the political evolution of Nigeria bear the indelible mark of Fasoranti. As a patriarch of principles, Pa Fasoranti carried the sacred torch of Afenifere with unyielding grace, following in the visionary footsteps of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Senator Abraham Adesanya. Through seasons of national uncertainty, he stood as a steadfast moral compass, a relentless advocate for true federalism, equity, fairness and the progressive advancement of his people. His leadership anchored the Yoruba nation in wisdom, courage and an unshakeable commitment to justice and fair play.”

In their defence, they were of the view that the consolidation of the great legacy now rests upon Oba Oladipo Olaitan, while they insisted that the time for division is over.

The statement further said: “Over the years, Oba Olaitan has demonstrated a profound sincerity of purpose and the strategic capacity to champion the core interests of Afenifere while simultaneously promoting the greater unity of Nigeria. His track record reflects a leader who understands the delicate balance between popular advocacy within a region and the broader imperative of national cohesion. Afenifere hereby issues a solemn clarion call to all factions, political actors and upcoming generations within the Yoruba nation that the time for division is over. The survival, stability and prosperity of the Yoruba people now depend on absolute pan-Yoruba unity. We urge all sons and daughters of Omo kaaro oojiire to close ranks, eschew the politics of bitterness and hatred, and unite firmly behind the leadership of Oba Olaitan. Together, we look towards a future in which historical injustices will be rectified and Yoruba heritage and interests secured in a fair and equitable society under God. In assuming this sacred mandate, Oba Olaitan is entrusted with the responsibility of leading with an absolute sense of purpose and unassailable dignity. As a traditional ruler, he is steeped in the exercise of restraint, the application of wisdom and the dignified statesmanship assured by his royal pedigree. He knows how to remain immune to transient political persuasions and undue pressures, holding his leadership position not as a political office but as a divine trust for the collective protection of our institutions and people.”

The statement drew the ire of some Afenifere chieftains who expressed disappointment over the faction’s position.

Following the backlash of the statement, Oba Olaitan, Sunday Vanguard gathered, had called for a meeting.

This reporter was informed that Oba Olaitan had seen the handwriting on the wall that his leadership may not go down well even within his camp, hence the need for a meeting on Thursday.

It’s premature to discuss succession plan —Falae

The Chairman of the National Executive Committee of Afenifere, Oba Olu Falae, distanced himself from the Olaitan camp’s stand, saying the move was premature.

Falae also said it was contrary to Yoruba culture to discuss leadership succession before the burial of its late leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

Oba Falae, who spoke in Akure when a condolence message was delivered to the family, had said it was inappropriate to discuss who succeeds a leader before he is buried.

Taking a swipe at the Olaitan camp, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) insisted that the priority of the organization is to give Pa Fasoranti a befitting burial, after which a credible leader would emerge to lead the group.

He had said: “Any discussion on leadership succession is premature and contrary to Yoruba culture. It is inappropriate to discuss who succeeds a leader before he is buried.”

Forceful acquisition of Afenifere is dead on arrival —Adejumo

Shedding light on the controversy surrounding Afenifere, a former spokesperson for the Yoruba body, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo—an Afenifere Independent—spoke on the ideological divide and question of leadership.

He also emphasised that Yoruba politics has been divided since the era of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Awolowo championed egalitarianism, democratic socialism, and ethical civic responsibility (Omoluabi).

Adejumo said: “How does someone simply wake up one day and announce himself as the leader in a situation where two distinct and ideologically different factions exist?”

Going down memory lane, the Afenifere chieftain explained the Yoruba concept of Omoluabi, which he said has shaped Yoruba politics for decades.

His words: “Ever since Chief Obafemi Awolowo entered Yoruba politics, and perhaps Nigerian politics more broadly, two distinct tendencies have existed side by side. On the one hand is the progressivism Awolowo introduced which, in some ways, reflects the Yoruba concept of Omoluabi, although it goes much further. This ideological divide has shaped Yoruba politics for decades. Consider everything Awolowo accomplished: His many firsts, his exemplary personal life and integrity, and what he achieved in just nine years in office. Reproducing that record would be extraordinarily difficult because of his commitment to ethics, civic responsibility, social development, and a clear pathway to success across different sectors. His achievements included Africa’s first television station, a modern secretariat, a modern stadium, and the development of Government Reserved Areas such as Bodija and Ikeja GRA. He also helped attract industries and businesses through the philosophy of democratic socialism. Yet reactionary tendencies have persisted throughout Yorubaland among people who present themselves as progressives. Given enough time, those tendencies often reveal themselves. These forces gained the upper hand during the 1962 crisis, when some Yoruba political actors chose to align themselves with the North. We associate that tendency with feudalism and entrenched corruption.

Some Yoruba people simply did not appreciate the Spartan lifestyle Awolowo practised and expected others in public life to embrace. Awolowo wanted a society founded on the principle of the idea that people should be treated with equal dignity, regardless of their background. His vision was one of egalitarianism, fairness, equal opportunity, and justice. But the reactionaries prevailed, contributing to the 1962 crisis, the ensuing counter-accusations, and a series of political irregularities. Today, we have development commissions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Yet Awolowo had already demonstrated the importance of institutionalised development through the Western Region’s development initiatives, particularly the Western Nigeria Development Corporation (WNDC). Awolowo’s ideas were far ahead of those of his reactionary opponents. But the reactionaries had an advantage: They understood the appeal of local loyalties and used it to draw people to their side. The crisis ultimately contributed to Awolowo’s prosecution on charges of treasonable felony, which he maintained were trumped up, and his imprisonment. Other members of his political circle, including S. G. Ikoku and Ayo Adebanjo, also faced persecution. Following the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, where they had sought refuge, they were deported to Nigeria and served prison terms.

There is something we may never forget, Awolowo never meant for Afenifere to be a Yoruba irredentist group and that should be something that should guide anyone who wants to be the leader. In one of Papa Awolowo’s book, he almost placed a curse on anyone who wants to turn Afenifere into a Yoruba irredentist group. Awolowo maintained that till the end of his life and charged all members to look at Afenifere as a national party. The reason we are Afenifere is because Chief Akinloye gave us that name in 1951 so as to express the meaning of ‘life more abundant’ to the people at the grassroots. If Nigeria must progress, the feudal system in the North must die and Awolowo has said that many times. He maintained it to the end and charged all members that any part of the country that is not aligned with this philosophy, we must go there and plant it, so that we can all begin to see a country that is devoid of feudalism and other forms of cultural interferences that are anti civilisation. Take for example, if Awolowo was not right, how come Afenifere was leader of the opposition in the East when S.G Ikokwu of the Action Group defeated his father, Alvan Ikokwu, of the NCNC. Afenifere later became the leader of the opposition winning at least six seats in the Eastern region. In the North, Afenifere became the leader of opposition with Alhaji Maito of the Action Group and we had about eight members. No other party succeeded in having that. Northern People Congress (NPC) did not have a single seat in any of the places to form the opposition leader. Only the NCNC was able to do that in the West.

That is the philosophy written down in plain sight that Pa Adebanjo followed. Awolowo would cry in his grave to know that a leader, chosen after him, playing the Yoruba irredentist politics that will make it look like Afenifere is only for the Yoruba. That is the bastardization of the Awolowo philosophy. It was only Adebanjo that followed it to the last. The successor of Adebanjo, who is the present Chairman of the SMBLF, has already thrown Adebanjo under the bus. It would lead us to know that the adage of Uthman Dan Fodio which he said that do not trust any man that goes into his household to steal their valuables to give a stranger because such a man will not hesitate to give yours away to other suitors. Forceful acquisition is dead on arrival. So, if someone is trying to throw Adebanjo and those who believe in him under the bus and is tracing his predecessors (Fasoranti, Adesanya, Ajasin and Awolowo) and painfully excluded Adebanjo, then, it is never going to be easy. We are going to have a serious crisis. The Akure people, I have certain feelings and have been getting certain feelers that they will not go along with this. They have formidable people. The Yoruba are not going to be forcefully taken by anyone, it is not going to happen. Let us be clear that this forceful acquisition is dead on arrival.”

Forming a third force in Afenifere

Adejumo continued: “My final contribution to this development would be a concerning call I received from one of our respected elders in the Afenifere, Dr Femi Okurounmu, about three weeks ago and said to me that the two factions of Afenifere are on their death rows. It is almost as if life has departed from Afenifere. He said ‘I and some others have decided to form a third force.’ I promptly rejected that idea because my position is that we have a greater danger ahead of us in the forthcoming elections. The people may not be readily open to having another group because the focus now is the January presidential election. I said ‘why don’t we wait till after the elections and see how we can fit in, where leadership should go and see how we can return Afenifere back to factory mode. Enough of the usurpers and pretenders’.

That is what I told him not knowing that a lot of these things will begin to unfold to lend credence to my position that nothing should be done for now. In the tradition of the Yoruba, when a leader dies, nobody talks about succession until that leader has been given a befitting burial. Then, of course, we cannot be having all these controversial tendencies. That is why what we are seeing is a bit disturbing and destabilising development. Some of us are committed to a true leadership that will emerge from the Afenifere, that will look back and walk the path of the founding fathers such as the Awolowo, Ajasin, Adesanya and Adebanjo mould, especially the Adebanjo mould who followed through to the letter; progressivism. It saddens me greatly that Oba Olaitan, who presided over a meeting of the Afenifere at the country home of the leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, in which the whole body of the Afenifere faithful passed a vote of confidence on Pa Adebanjo’s leadership and promptly proclaimed Chief Ayo Adebanjo as the de facto leader and a press release to that effect signed by Oba Olaitan and the Secretary General was promptly issued, to now read from Oba Olaitan’s statement which totally removed the truest leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, from the list of his predecessors, simply smack of an act that could not be more ridiculous.

Lastly, there is a huge fundamental gorge that exists between the Adebanjo group and the Fasoranti group. Let us not deceive ourselves that some people exploited Fasoranti at his most vulnerable period so well advanced in age, and these powerful people are with President Tinubu. How on earth would Oba Olaitan think that he would lead a united Afenifere? I think it would be a cheap trick to think that the Fasoranti group would gobble at it and simply fall over and allow Oba Olaitan to lead them. It is not going to happen. It is the Adebanjo faction of the Afenifere that is now aligned with the SDP. There is an arrangement that Afenifere will handle everything that has to do with the SDP in the South-West. A lot has happened in that regard. Who again will be thrown under the bus? Is it President Tinubu and his APC, or will it be Mr. Adewole Adebayo of the SDP that will be thrown under the bus? So, we are a long way from straight forward solution. I am just waiting for the time this whole exercise will begin to look ridiculous.”

According to Adejumo, Adebanjo historically embodied the true, uncompromising ideals of the original Afenifere movement.

He said: “Against this historical background, one can argue that, among those who claimed to represent the true ideals of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo embodied those ideals particularly well. Chief Reuben Fasoranti himself reportedly captured this sentiment in his resignation letter, describing Adebanjo as the personification of Afenifere. When Fasoranti eventually left the scene, one could reasonably ask whether he had navigated the political situation successfully. After all, it was Adebanjo who had helped bring him into the leadership position in the first place.”

Sharing a perspective of how Fasoranti emerged as Afenifere leader, Adejumo explained how Adebanjo declined to take the leadership position.

He said: “This was not the first time Afenifere had faced the question of succession. When Chief Abraham Adesanya became seriously ill and suffered a stroke, he wanted to identify a successor. He called two senior Afenifere members, Olanihun Ajayi and Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and asked them to choose between themselves.”

Ijebu mafia

Adejumo explained further: “Adebanjo, however, declined to take the position. He explained that he and others from Ijebu had long been labelled the Ijebu mafia, a description he rejected. He worried that his emergence as leader might reinforce that perception and deepen divisions within the organisation. Instead, he proposed finding someone who was respected, approachable, and capable of bringing the different tendencies within Afenifere together without being immediately identified with a particular faction. When asked whom he had in mind, Adebanjo suggested Fasoranti. The suggestion initially surprised Adesanya, who did not immediately recall Fasoranti as a prominent member of the inner caucus. Adebanjo explained that Fasoranti had been involved with the organisation since 1953 and had served as Commissioner for Finance under Chief Michael Ajasin when Ajasin was governor of Ondo State. Fasoranti was not a member of the inner caucus, but that was precisely part of the attraction. He had not been at the forefront of the controversies surrounding the treasonable felony case, nor had he been among those most traumatised by the military repression associated with the Abacha era. At the time, he was a retired school principal, who was only managing his business. Adebanjo believed that someone with this background could provide the organisation with the kind of leadership capable of rallying together its different members. And so Fasoranti emerged as leader. Unfortunately, from around 2008,

Afenifere entered a period of turbulence. The organisation struggled to maintain its momentum, while Fasoranti faced pressure from political forces that opposed his leadership. Those forces encouraged the emergence of competing figures, including Ayo Fasanmi, followed by Biyi Durojaiye and Chief Olusi, deepening the internal divisions. The situation troubled Fasoranti greatly. By 2015, he had reportedly had enough and was considering stepping aside. This was despite Afenifere’s significant contribution, alongside the Jonathan administration, to the 2014 National Conference. Once again, Adebanjo intervened and persuaded Fasoranti to continue. Meanwhile, Fasoranti was increasingly inclined to retire. Some members of his inner circle in Akure, Ondo State, were reportedly spreading claims that he was becoming senile, and there were concerns that some were positioning themselves to take control from him. Fasoranti therefore moved quickly and announced Adebanjo as acting leader. Many of us regarded this as one leader doing the right thing by another. Oba Olaitan was subsequently made deputy leader. Afenifere gained renewed visibility under Adebanjo. He became a prominent public voice, attracting new members and reviving the organization’s reputation as a principled political movement.”

Support for Peter Obi in 2023

Adejumo noted: “As the 2023 presidential election approached, Adebanjo began consulting members about the organisation’s political position. The discussions had reportedly started as early as 2021 and continued over approximately two years. I was the Publicity Secretary at the time, and I participated alongside other members of the executive. Adebanjo’s argument was rooted in equity. He maintained that the Igbo had not yet had an opportunity to produce a Nigerian president, while the North and the Yoruba had each held the presidency for eight years. The South-South had also produced President Goodluck Jonathan, although his tenure was shorter than eight years. Adebanjo argued that Nigerians should consider giving the Igbo a chance. Equity, he believed, was an essential route to justice. His objective was a Nigeria in which no region felt permanently excluded from the nation’s highest office. That was how we rallied behind the presidential candidacy of Peter Obi.

There is much more to say about that election, but one point deserves emphasis. Without Obi’s candidacy, President Bola Tinubu might not have become president. The votes Obi attracted in the seven states he won, together with the Federal Capital Territory, could otherwise have substantially strengthened Atiku Abubakar’s position against Tinubu. Given the historical voting patterns in the South-East, where the PDP had traditionally performed strongly, it is reasonable to argue that Obi’s emergence significantly altered the electoral contest. We must also acknowledge the longstanding tensions between the Yoruba and Igbo. I had previously tried to help bring the two groups closer together through Afenifere. That effort has not yet achieved all its objectives, but reconciliation remains a work in progress. In supporting Obi, Adebanjo was acting on his conviction that political equity could help strengthen national unity. Paradoxically, however, the votes Obi attracted may also have benefited President Tinubu by dividing the opposition vote. In that sense, one could argue that Adebanjo’s decision indirectly helped create the electoral conditions that enabled President Tinubu to win the presidency.

Let us leave that debate for another occasion and turn to the present crisis.

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