What is the Worth of Afenifere’s Endorsement?
There are however questions on the worth of the endorsement. Critics argue that the Afenifere of today is different from when it was a vehicle for social mobilization by the Action Group government in Western Nigeria in the pre and immediate post independence era. It is even far different from the group which was able to form the Alliance for Democracy, AD, the party which went on to win elections in all the South West states, despite its formation just a few months before the 1999 general elections. The group, under the leadership of the late Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Senator Abraham Adesanya, were in the vanguard of pro-democracy and agitations for validation of the annulled 12 June, 1993 presidential election. Though the members and leaders of the group suffered various deprivations and harassments under the military rule, they refused to waver in their commitments to democracy and selfless service to the cause of the Yoruba nation.
However, the group was thrown into crisis when, shortly before the 1999 elections, it endorsed Chief Olu Falae as the presidential candidate of AD over the late Chief Bola Ige, the deputy leader of the group. This led him to join the administration of the then former President Obasanjo without consultation with other members of the group.
There was also a struggle for the control of AD structure in Lagos between the late Ganiyu Dawodu and Tinubu which led to the exit of the latter from the party. Though Ganiyu directed his supporters to vote for the late Funsho Williams, the PDP governorship candidate election in the 2003 elections, the former Governor still went ahead to win the election.
The group finally split into two. After this, the influence of the group reduced drastically. It supported the re-election of the five governors of AD in 2003 while it opposed the second-term ambition of Tinubu. But all the AD governors, who enjoyed its endorsement, were defeated by PDP candidates at the polls.
Also, the efforts of the group to install Jimi Agbaje as the Governor of Lagos State in 2007 on the platform of its then newly formed Democratic Peoples’ Alliance DPA ended in failure. The only exception was when Olu Falae, a member of the group supported Governor Mimiko as the candidate of the incumbent Labour Party in 2012. But critics argued that the Ondo State Governor could have won the election without the support of the old warhorse whose son later became a commissioner in the state.
Members of the group who ironically were in the vanguard of agitations and complaints about marginalization of the Yoruba by the Jonathan administration have become frequent visitors to the Aso Rock presidential villa. Their efforts have yielded fruits with the appointment of Brig-Gen Jones Arogbofa (rtd), the younger brother of the General Secretary of the Afenifere, Chief Seinde Arogbofa, as President Jonathan’s Chief of Staff.
There were speculations that the endorsement of Jonathan by the group was a trade-off to help Arogbofa keep his job. Already, a faction of the group, the Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG, said they didn’t support the endorsement of Jonathan. Some Oodua organisations based in and outside of Nigeria had also distanced themselves from what they described as the self-serving endorsement of Jonathan by the Chief Reuben Fasoranti-led Afenifere.
In addition to this, just like it did in 2011, this magazine gathered that the Presidency will also be mobilising people of other ethnic groups living in the region to come out to vote en masse for Jonathan to further assure him of victory.
There were allegations that the President doled out dollar gifts in an attempt to buy votes of the different groups he met during his visit to Lagos. However, the Presidency has said there is no iota of truth in the claim that Jonathan doled out money to the different groups that met with him during his trip. Reuben Abati, spokesperson to President Goodluck Jonathan who spoke to this magazine over the allegations said the rumour of the cash gift is being peddled by those who are afraid of the success of the President’s trip to Lagos and pledge of support for his 2015 presidential ambition by the different groups he met with. Abati, who described the President’s visit to Lagos and the South West as very, very successful said the President’s trip to Lagos was not ‘transactional,’ hence the issue of monetary gifts does not arise. While indicting the opposition APC and Governor Fashola for the rumour, Abati said the opposition party is jittery over the success of the President’s trip to Lagos and the South West as well as the offer of support he received from various groups during the visit.
*The Afenifere members
1. Reuben Fasoranti
2. Chief Ayo Adebanjo
3. Chief Olaniwun Ajayi
4. Chief Olu Falae
5. Chief Dehinde Arowogbefa
6. Chief Duro Doyile
7. Chief Iyiola Omisore
8. Dr. Segun Mimiko
9. Prof. Akin Onigbinde
10. Mr. Yinka Odumakin
11. Mr. Segun Ojo
12. Otunba Gbenga Daniel
13. Dr. Femi Okurounmu
14. Mr. Jimi Agbaje
Leave a Reply