2023: Vote credible leaders with Nigeria’s interest at heart, Opadokun, others task Nigerians

Former Secretary of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Mr. Ayo Opadokun; a university don, Prof. Olutayo Adesina and a socio-political group, Alliance of Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDF), on Wednesday in Lagos charged Nigerians to ensure that, come 2023, they vote credible leaders who genuinely have the interest to serve and bring about a turn around for better for the country.

They made the call while speaking at the Maiden Conference of the Alliance of Yoruba Democratic Movement (AYDM) held at Saint Leo’s Catholic Church Hall in Ikeja, Lagos, themed: “The 2023 General Elections and the Future of the Yoruba Nation,” even as they lamented the poor state of the country, urging people of the South West and Yoruba in other states of the federation to mobilise themselves and vote en masse in the forthcoming 2023 General Elections to prove their numerical strength to attract political and economic development to the region.

This was just as Opadokun, who noted that the Yoruba race took the future of the race and that of the country seriously and came up with Oodua Development Council which was launched in year 2000, describing the body as a pacesetter for other ethnic nationalities who set up their sectional movement after it, charged younger generation of Yoruba to consider, request and insist that aspirants who would soon be coming to them should respond to where they stand on the Yoruba Agenda.

The former NADECO chieftain, who also noted that Yoruba had an agenda and plan to move forward the Yoruba speaking states, occasioning the establishment of 18 committees to take care of issues that affect Yoruba nation, maintained that neglect of federal system of government was responsible for the retrogression of the country, recalling that progress and development were recorded in the First Republic because the government was run on the tenets of federalism.

Opadokun, who recalled that the Yoruba Agenda had since 1994 been harmonised under the Chairmanship of the
Late Professor Adebayo Adedeji and equally harmonised with that of the Traditional Rulers at meetings “conveyed at the Ogbagba Court of the Awujale of Ijebu land when we thought that General Sani Abacha was going to organise a truly representative assembly of Nigerians to discuss and resolve the National Question,” asserted that the most germane item was the Yoruba Nation’s categorical demand for a return to Federal Constitutional Governance.

“We have always stated with clarity that Nigeria secured its Independence on a Federal Constitution Governance that was negotiated by the different ethnic nationalities and their political leaders.

“There was no time where Nigerians consented to, nor agreed with, the Unitary and Central Government that was imposed on us by military governments by decrees since January 15, 1966. And Nigeria has since then been governed unitarily and centrally till date, in spite of popular, credible and sustained categorical demands for a return to the negotiated Federal Constitution that recognises the fact and reality that the geographic and political space created by the imperialist Great Britain composed of heterogeneous people with over 350 ethnic nationalities with their different languages, religions, cultures, customs, traditions, artefacts, folklore, mores, morals, etc,” he said.

Speaking further, Opadokun said that Federalism, as was practised in the First Republic, assisted the various governments not only to be responsible and responsive to the electorates’ yearnings and aspirations, adding that it guaranteed justice, equity and fair play, as well as the protection, defence and consolidation of the rule of law as the as the basis of government policies.

He used the forum to pay tributes to the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo; and other outstanding forebears who left their footprints on the sands of time.

While calling for observance a standing ovation in honour of the distinguished and outstanding forebears, the NADECO chieftain recalled that Awolowo as the first premier of Western Nigerian, along with his distinguished colleagues, ran the most responsible, responsive, transparent, productive and creative government that became the pacesetter of all public services in the First Republic.

“I am, with your kind permission, using him as a reference to pay these heroes our debt of gratitude and appreciation for all their invaluable, credible, altruistic and respected performances that have given the Yoruba Nation an imperishable head start.

“Those of them who, as governors in the Second Republic, namely: Chief M.A. Ajasin, CON, for Ondo State, Alhaji L.K. Jakande for Lagos State, Chief Bisi Onabanjo for Ogun State, Chief Bola Ige, SAN, for Oyo State, Professor Ambrose
Alli for Bendel State equally provided a matchless public service that positively impacted our people’s lives in the old Western Region including Bendel State.

“They have clearly written their names in gold. We cannot forget easily too those who were not in government but were outstanding opinion leaders of our people.

“They operated in education, Medicare, business, Judiciary, media, the professions, and (much more relevant for this gathering) the political and Human Rights activists who even paid the supreme sacrifice for the little space they succeeded in creating for our current efforts to navigate our today’s existential crossroads,” Opadokun stated.

Opadokun maintained return to Federal Constitution Governance was the popular demand by Nigerians, as there was no time when Nigerians consented to, nor agreed with, the Unitary and Central Government and, therefore, urged to ensure they voter aspirants that believed in the restructuring of the country, noting sadly that the way the country was structured now was warped and the need to make it better was imperative.

In his own remark, Prof. Adesina, who also lamented the current situation in the country, said what should be done to right it was for Nigerians to verify the backgrounds of those coming out to contest the forthcoming general elections, in order to ensure whether they had the capacitors and capability to deliver the dividends of democracy.

The University don, who observed that Nigeria is richly endowed with huge resources, but “our children are leaving the country in drove for abroad because of the situation we have found ourselves,” said there must be a blueprint to indicate where the country was heading to, disclosing that DAWN had already done that concerning restructuring of the country.

This was just as Adesina reiterated the need to ensure that Yoruba parents trained their children as everything being thought now was foreign culture, tradition and value system.

Chairman AYDF Mr Adewale Adeoye, in his opening remark, called on voters from Yoruba speaking states to mobilise and show their numerical strength.

“We want our people to show their determination to use their votes to determine their future. We want our people to use their votes to raise political consciousness. We want the areas formerly known as a Western region to overwhelm the rest of the country through massive participation in any electoral process so that we can assert ourselves as one indivisibile people,” he said.

Adeoye, who lamented that voters’ apathy had for years dominated South West political culture due to a large disconnect between the Yoruba ruling elites and ordinary folks, however, said there was a need for a none state actor intervention to create an electoral paradigms shifts.

Also speaking, the Secretary of the group, Popoola Ajayi, appealled to youths to be more engaging in politics, saying there must be a synergy, agenda that would cut across.

“There must be a synergy, agenda that will cut across, the leader who will lead us to a path to develop agriculture, economic development, governance band institution and Constitution amendment,” he said.

Ajayi called for unity among the yoruba race that cut across the ethnicity diversity for the common benefit of all to be at the forefront of political recognition.

Contributing, the representative of Kogi and Kwara States, who is the National Secretary of Afenifere Renewal Group, Ayo Abere-Oran, urged the public to go and register and collect their PVC as a key to change the narratives.

He express displeasure over insecurity in the country but commended the Yoruba security operatives such as Amotekun, OPC, Agbekoyas and others that were complementing the military and the police to provide security for the region.

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