By Abiola Olawale
Chief Ayo Adebanjo, an elder statesman and a chieftain of the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere has said he won’t support Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Lagos State governor, in the upcoming 2023 general election, stating that Tinubu will not restructure Nigeria if he becomes president.
Following claims in certain quarters that Tinubu will restructure Nigeria when he becomes President in 2023, Adebanjo said Nigerians should not be carried away by the talks, stating that Tinubu cannot restructure Nigeria because the current constitution operating in the country has no provision for it.
The Afenifere chieftain said Nigerians should not pay attention to the claims, insisting Nigeria cannot be restructured under the current 1999 constitution. According to him, the constitution which was formulated by the military, is an “obnoxious constitution.”
The elder-statesman said Tinubu’s silence on the recent crisis rocking the Southwest, was enough to indicate that he cannot fulfill the promise of restructuring made by his supporters.
He said Tinubu has betrayed the Southwest because he failed to speak against the alleged involvement of the Fulani herders in the crisis rocking the region, ranging from, killing, kidnapping, raping, among others.
The elder-statesman also stated that he won’t support Tinubu if he solicits his support for the 2023 presidency until the 1999 constitution is amended to favour the Southwest.
In his words: “Tinubu cannot restructure Nigeria even if becomes president tomorrow. Don’t let anyone deceive you about that. I have told Tinubu that if he wants to become president after the constitution of our people have been made, that is another matter but definitely not under this current constitution. That people’s constitution would have settled how power rotation is going to be. We won’t be embarrassed by people who are now telling us that zoning or power rotation is not in the constitution. If Tinubu declares for president tomorrow and seeks my support, I won’t support him. I have told him that even if they choose my son as president under this constitution, I will oppose him. This is an obnoxious constitution.
“It is a constitution by the Northern elite to oppress the South. All the things that are causing conflict in the country today is in the constitution made by the military. All these things they are doing against the South-West now, what is Tinubu saying about it? He can’t talk. That was why I said he is deceiving Buhari and Buhari is also deceiving him. Tinubu’s supporters have claimed that one of the reasons why we parted ways was because he likes spending money for people while elders like us are stingy. That is true and I have challenged him that if I were to ask for money, how much did he give me before I took the action that made him governor? The late Ganiyu Dawodu as the state chairman of Lagos State AD had already forwarded the name of Funsho Williams as winner of the primary. I overturned it as the national chairman. When there was a dispute between him and Dawodu, the woman he called his mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, whom I have known since Action Group days phoned me to intervene. I told her ‘Alhaja, you know me. I am standing for truth. Ask your son, did I get a penny from him before I recognised him? When he was trying to undermine his then deputy, Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, and we told him that he can’t do that. I also spoke with Kafaru Tinubu and I said ‘Kafaru, if I ask you for N20 million at that time, won’t you give me? He said I will give you. I then asked ‘why can’t we talk to this boy (Tinubu)?That is how no matter how much I criticise him, he will only reply me back through his boys who are his mouthpiece. He will never reply me directly. I stood by him through thick and thin on principle, not for any material gain.
“He can’t say ‘Papas, stop threatening me because this is how much I gave you’. That is the integrity I’m selling. When he was governor, he was stubborn on certain issues. So, during Christmas, he gave myself, Papa Abraham Adesanya and Olanihun Ajayi cows as Christmas present, but we returned them to him. We told him we won’t accept his gifts because we talked to him but he refused to listen. On a certain occasion when he brought Christmas present, I told Tunde Rahman, his media aide, who brought it that if I reject this gift now, people will say this man never forgives. That was how I collected the gift. How is Osinbajo handicapped? Is that not the man who said what do we understand by restructuring? How is he handicapped? Is that not the same Osinbajo who took Obasanjo to court over creation of local government in Lagos on the issue of true federalism when he was Attorney-General in Lagos? What has changed now?”
