- Afenifere Bigger Than Personalities; We’ve Transitioned To Oladipo’s Era — Adebanjo’s Camp
- Oladipo’s Appointment Alien To Afenifere’s Tradition — Fasoranti’s Camp
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The recent death of the leader of mainstream pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere and icon of pro-democracy struggles in Nigeria,v Chief Ayo Adebanjo, may not have laid to rest the tussle over the leadership of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation.
This is as members of the organisation loyal to the leadership of the late Chief Ayo Adebanjo ruled out reuniting with the Chief Reuben Fasoranti-led camp following Adebanjo’s demise.
This stance has led to a war of words between the two sides.
The Adebanjo’s team fired the first salvo in an interview with Punch Newspaper on Wednesday night.
In the interview, the National Publicity Secretary of the Adebanjo faction, Justice Faloye, dismissed any notion of unification, asserting that the real Afenifere had transitioned smoothly to a new leader in Oba Olaitan Oladipo.
“We don’t recognise any factions. Baba Fasoranti is a retired leader. The fact that he chose to align with others against the principles he set before retirement does not make it a faction. Afenifere is bigger than personalities and election cycles.
“Yes, they are our family and friends, but the push for unity by some is a political gimmick to silence Afenifere’s criticism of bad governance, especially as the 2027 election approaches.
“Afenifere is not about personalities or prebendalist motives. We stand for abundance for all. You either uphold our ideology or you do not. A capitalist neo-liberal perspective cannot be a faction of social welfarists and Social Democrats,” Faloye declared.
However, the National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, and the National Organizing Secretary, Abagun Omololu, of the Fasoranti-led Afenifere dismissed the Adebanjo’s team’s leadership declaration, insisting that Chief Reuben Fasoranti remains the only recognised leader of Afenifere.
They described the procedure used to install Oba Olaitan Oladipo as “alien to Afenifere’s tradition.”
“It is a known fact that the National Leader of Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, is still very much around. He is not only hale and hearty, but he is also providing requisite leadership—to the glory of God.
“In a situation where there is no vacuum, how do you talk of filling a vacancy that does not exist?
“Afenifere has a procedure for appointing its leader. How the appointment was done on Tuesday (by Adebanjo’s group) is alien to our tradition,” Ajayi stated.
He added that the organisation was still mourning Adebanjo and focusing on giving him a befitting burial, rather than engaging in a leadership tussle.
In his own remarks, Abagun Omololu strongly condemned the move by the Adebanjo faction, calling it disrespectful to Yoruba culture.
“Our leader, Papa Reuben Fasoranti, has lost one of his lieutenants, Chief Adebanjo, and he is grieving. It is sacrilegious and against Yoruba culture for some opportunists to be jostling for power while the deceased has yet to be laid to rest.
“This is nothing but a desperate attempt by self-serving individuals to advance their political agenda ahead of 2027.
”Let it be stated unequivocally: Afenifere remains undivided. The attempt to carve out a faction for personal gain is a charade, orchestrated to serve prebendalist interests.
“Papa Fasoranti, the Leader of Afenifere, will make an official statement after Chief Adebanjo’s burial,”
Afenifere had been divided along the lines of Chief Reuben Fasoranti and the late Chief Ayo Adebanjo in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections.
Recall that while Adebanjo supported Labour Party’s Peter Obi in the spirit of fairness and equity, Fasoranti and his supporters aligned with President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
Recall that elderstateman, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, died on February 14, 2025, at the ripe age of 96.
However, on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, the Adebanjo faction named Oba Olaitan Oladipo as the Adebanjo’s successor.
