Afenifere, Atiku and the unending discourse on restructuring

As tension and anxiety surrounding the 2019 general election reached a crescendo last Thursday, with only two days before the presidential and National Assembly election, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere converged on Ibadan, the political capital of the South-West, to put what would appear as icing, on the cake of the much-anticipated contest. It declared its support for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in the election that was later postponed till February 23.

Though the organization, established with the mandate to champion the cause of the Yoruba people of South-West Nigeria, had made such declaration in the past few weeks, the Ibadan meeting became as the platform to clarify the stance and to rally Yoruba people across the six states of the South-West geopolitical behind the season and make those opposed to it see sense and join the move.

At the meeting, which had in attendance the leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti its other prominent leaders such as Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Senator Femi Okurounmu, Chief Olu Falae and Chief Kole Omololu, as well as a crowd of Yoruba people drawn from the six states of the South-West, namely; Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, the group put words to a declaration to support Atiku at the poll, a development that was in sync with a similar declaration of support for the PDP candidate by other prominent ethnic-based socio-political groups, including Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF); Ohanaeze Ndigbo; Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) as well the Middle Belt Forum, among others.

Tagged the “Yoruba Town Hall Meeting on Moving Nigeria Forward,” the Afenifere used the platform to return to discussion on a topic of interest for which it has been known for a long time-restructuring, declaring, for the umpteenth time, that the well-being and progress of the Yoruba nation, indeed, lies in a restructured Nigeria.

Explaining the rationale for the town hall meeting, Pa Fasoranti pointed out the need for the Yoruba to meet and know the direction it was heading as a nation in the coming elections and how Nigeria could continue to make progress, stating: “The important reason for this town hall meeting is for us to remind ourselves on the need to unite as a people ahead of the presidential election. We do not want to miss the goal and this goal is a restructured, united and better Nigeria.”

For years, Afenifere has been at the forefront of the clamour for a restructured Nigeria and a truly federal state, toeing the path of the renowned leader of the Yoruba people and first Premier of the Westen Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who canvassed federalism as the way forward for Nigeria. Past efforts in that regard by the organization and a host of other groups and individuals attuned to the restructuring agenda had culminated in the organization of a national conference by the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration, which recommendations have, however, been consigned to the shelf by the current Federal Government. For this reason, Afenifere reckoned that “it is not yet Uhuru,” re-entering the arena of clamour for the restructuring of the country, especially in the face of heightened divisions, intolerance and insecurity said to be occasioned by the differences among the people.

In the last three years and nine months of the President Muhammadu Buhari government, not only has the restructuring clamour increased in tempo and momentum, it has gained more followers, with the Afenifere still at the vanguard of the agitation with other Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt groups. In the process, the group, in conjunction with many other Yoruba organisations, held the Ibadan Summit, which appeared to have aggregated all the demands of the Yoruba nation on restructuring, with similar gatherings following across the country by other ethnic-based groups. The tempo of agitation for restructuring, at a point, got the attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which set up a committee led by the Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, tagged the Committee on True Federalism. That committee had conducted meetings in all six geopolitical zones of the country, aggregating Nigerians’ views on federalism and the need to restructure, made recommendations and submitted its report. However, a year and one month after the submission of that report, the Federal Government has continued to look the other way, a development that Afenifere noted demanded a different tactics and a response from the Yoruba people, beginning with Saturday’s presidential election.

• Again, three persons killed in renewed cult war in Edo State

That change of tactics, it was explained at the town hall meeting, came by way of endorsing the candidature of Atiku, a man who, apart from being candidate of a party that has espoused restructuring, has been a convert of restructuring for some time, making practical submissions about how Nigeria would need to be reconfigured to break even. Explaining the rationale for declaring support for Atiku, the chairman of the Presidential Committee on National Conference during the administration of Jonathan, Senator Okurounmu, said, with Buhari’s actions and body language, it had been made clear that he would have nothing to do with restructuring, while Atiku has expressed the readiness to heed the yearning of Nigerians to restructure the country.

“The Afenifere has weighed the two [Buhari and Atiku] and we have seen the one who can make life better for the Yoruba nation, that man is Atiku,” Okurounmu said, pointing out how Buhari failed to commit to restructuring and even jettisoned the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.

“We know that in the area of security of our lives, Atiku will benefit Nigeria. Today, herdsmen kill at will; they are wreaking havocs on our people in Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo and Ogun. They kidnap and rape mindlessly. But Atiku has articulated his plans to end these; if we want peace and security we have to end the herdsmen menace and only Atiku can do it. Buhari cannot end the herdsmen menace because he is their patron.

“On Boko Haram, Buhari promised that he would end terrorism; but today, it has evolved into other things, with armed banditry in Zamfara and increase in kidnapping and other crimes across the land. Only Atiku can end these,” Okurounmu said, adding that Atiku has also demonstrated the capacity to fix the economy of the country.

Speaking earlier, lead discussant on the topic, “Moving Nigeria Forward,” Chief Demola Folarin, said the country would find it difficult to move forward until it recognised the way, noting, however, that Afenifere had been pointing to that direction which the Western Region followed in the days of Awolowo and recorded great successes in human and physical development.

He maintained that the people running government in Nigeria had been doing so on a faulty foundation and that for the country to get to where it intended to go in terms of growth and development, it would have to restructure, saying this was the only reason Afenifere threw its weight behind Atiku.]

Also speaking, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, justified the support for Atiku’s candidature, despite having a Yoruba man as running mate to Buhari, saying politics “is never about biological relationship.” He pointed out how Osinbajo has joined the fray of those opposing restructuring, saying if votes would count, Yoruba people should elect Atiku, who has made commitment to restructure the country and thereby grant the Yoruba man’s desire to work hard, prosper and live in his community without Fulani herdsmen coming to invade his land.

Of all the speakers at the meeting, however, the words of Pa Ayo Adebanjo resonated loudly, as he went down history lane on the issue of restructuring and recounted how Chief Awolowo had championed the cause of federalism and put his people on the path of prosperity through the demand for self-government in the 50s. He pointed out that Awolowo had fought and won the battle for resource control and equitable distribution of wealth by opposing the Macpherson Constitution and how that opposition and his espoused views on federalism had birthed another constitution, which led to self-government.

Adebanjo clarified the Afenifere position on supporting Atiku, noting that the organisation has not become part of PDP, as being speculating, even as he branded some individuals he said were using Afenifere’s name to support Buhari as betrayers. According to the lawyer and elder statesman, Afenifere chose to support the PDP candidate because he wanted what the group wants and what could restore prosperity and progress to Yoruba land and Nigeria, saying PDP had chosen to be Afenifere by aligning itself with what the Yoruba people want and what could move Nigeria forward—restructuring.

“The herdsmen are pillaging Yoruba land; they want to take over our land but some people have been deceiving the Yoruba that they should support a government that cannot do anything to stop the invasion. They are lying to you that if you support Buhari, a Yoruba man will become president in 2023. That is a big fraud; they have promised the same 2023 presidency to the Igbo. So, why are we following Atiku?

“We are supporting Atiku because he promised to restructure Nigeria. He is better than Buhari who has said no to restructuring.  So, if you are voting on Saturday, please know what you are voting for. It is those who want to continue to enslave Nigerians that want you to vote for Buhari. A vote for Buhari will enslave the Yoruba nation,” he said.