The leader of pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has accused Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of bribing some members of the group to cause division within, ahead of the 2023 general election.
According to Peoples Gazette, Adebanjo made the allegation, adding however that he was not ready to engage the former Lagos state governor, whom he accused of inducing a few members of Afenifere to curry favour in his preparation for the polls.
He insisted that Afenifere had already endorsed Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) for the next year’s election based on principle.
“Tinubu bribed some people with little money to put up a show that there’s a division in Afenifere. I won’t engage him and those he gave money to, because we have already made our position clear that Peter Obi is our candidate. Peter Obi as president will serve our interest better than Tinubu,” he stated.
He was reacting to Tinubu’s visit to Reuben Fasoranti, a foremost leader of Afenifere, at his hometown of Akure, Ondo capital, on Sunday.
Adebanjo took over as the leader of the Afenifere in March 2021 after Fasoranti, 96, stepped down from the leadership of the pan-Yoruba group during a meeting held at his residence.
Tinubu had stormed Fasoranti’s residence in the company of Bisi Akande, a former interim chairman of the APC; Iyiola Omisore, APC National Secretary; Pius Akinyelure, a Former National Vice Chairman of the APC South-West Zone; Dayo Adeyeye, National Chairman, Southwest Agenda for Tinubu 2023 presidential ambition (SWAGA), among others.