The Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has insisted that the candidacy of Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections looks more like a revolution capable of transforming the country.
The General Secretary of Afenifere, Sola Ebiseni stated on Tuesday that the endorsement of the former Anambra State Governor by Afenifere remains sacrosanct, stating that through Obi’s candidacy, Nigeria would be restructured. This was part of his interview on Arise TV.
“Obi candidacy is a revolution to change Nigeria, it is part of the restructuring such that Nigeria will be restructured in a way that every nationality will have a sense of belonging.
“His endorsement is about equity and justice. Yoruba interest is that we live in a federation where there should be peace because when you see what is going on in the country now, you will see the need for peace,” he said.
The socio-cultural organization added, “So Obi is a metaphor for South-South, a metaphor for South-East and a metaphor for the Middle Belt.”
On the choice of Obi, Afenifere said, “Why has Afenifere chosen Obi in the first place? Baba Fasoranti in handing over said that one of the tasks before us is to stop a section of the north from dominating Nigeria.
“Look at it, if you want to pin down to Shehu Shagari, Yar Adua, then to Buhari, you can see that a section of the country is dominating. If you come to the south you will see Ernest Shonekan, Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, and then you will still want to say “Yoruba lokan” (meaning it is Yoruba turn). How do you run a country like that?
“Nigeria is a federation. Let me tell you the scenario of what will happen, if the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wins, you would have created the impression that notwithstanding people’s feelings, a president of northern extraction can happen in Nigeria no matter what anybody says. If the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wins, you would have a trajectory or progression between the Yoruba and the Fulani,” Afenifere stated.