Ayo Adebanjo, the leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation Afenifere, claims he and former president Olusegun Obasanjo have decided to back Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
In July, Adebanjo supported Obi, which ignited a heated debate among the Afenifere faction.
Though he hasn’t openly expressed it, analysts have also theorized that the former president, Obasanjo, is leaning toward the LP candidate.
Last Saturday, Obasanjo, Adebanjo, and Obi were present to sign the condolence book for Mbazulike Amaechi, Nigeria’s first minister of aviation, who passed away on November 1.
The Afenifere leader said that their friendship developed as a result of their support for Obi’s campaign in an interview with Punch.
In the past, Adebanjo criticized Obasanjo for how he handled a number of national issues, and in 2018, the Afenifere leader said that the group could not have any dealings with Obasanjo.
The leader of Afenifere claimed that he and Obasanjo had no “personal differences,” and that they both concur that Obi is the “one” who should rule Nigeria in 2023.
“The problem we have right now is not ethnic, it’s national. For me, the first thing that is important in a leader is character,” Adebanjo said.
“The problem we have had over the years is that we don’t have leaders who have the right type of character for which they should be entrusted with a leadership role.
“So, if I put my finger on anything or anybody, it is because comparing one with another, I see that there is merit that would be of benefit.
“What unites us is Nigeria. All the time I disagreed with him, there was no personal issue. It was on this issue of Nigeria and we agree it should be better. We all agreed that Obi is the man.
“That is why we are friends. And that was what we made clear to the people of the east. It was the question of Nigeria and we were able to demonstrate the importance of Obi’s victory in the election. Even people who do not agree on things agree on this one.
“That is to show you that we elderly people are united in one thing: bring Nigeria together. We are not looking at the past; that will not help us now.
“What will help us is to amend all the evil things that the Buhari government has done.”
