Foremost Yoruba apex body, Afenifere, has been declared to be a ‘philosophy’ and not a political party and should therefore not be viewed as being partisan.
A release signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the organization, Comrade Jare Ajayi, quoted the leader of Afenifere Worldwide, Chief Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, MFR, as stating that “Afenifere is a Philosophy and NOT a political party”. He added that this clarification at this time becomes very necessary in view of a wrong insinuation in some quarters that could mislead members of the public as to what exactly Afenifere is!
The statement was emphatic that rather than being a political party, Afenifere is a philosophy steeped in freedom for all and life more abundant for everyone. Thus, the social and cultural intent is greater than the political angle as all Yoruba people cannot belong to the same political party.
“It is a fact that the defunct Action Group (the pioneer political party founded by Chief Obafemi Awolowo) went with the cognomen, Afenifere, when it came to campaign in Ibadan so that the average Yoruba men and women who were not so educated could understand what the party stood for. As a matter of fact, the Yoruba name for the party was Egbe Olope (a party with the symbol of palm tree). This was in line with the practice then whereby political parties were identified more with the symbols of their respective logos. Same thing is happening even now.
According to Ajayi, this clarification by The Leader became necessary in view of a very wrong notion being created in certain quarters that ‘Afenifere is a political party’.
In his words: “Political parties are, of necessity, characterized by certain attributes, the crux of which is that they must be registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). And for an organization to be so registered, it must fulfill certain conditions. Among these conditions is the need for any organization seeking registration with INEC to have members and offices in at least 24 out of the 36 states in Nigeria. Besides, such an organization must be ‘opened’ to all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, tongue, religion etc.
“In the case of Afenifere, its membership is restricted ONLY to people of Yoruba extraction. Thus, even if it seeks registration with INEC, it would be disqualified on that ground. Second, since Yoruba people are naturally domiciling fully in less than ten states in the country, it means that it cannot meet another important condition for INEC registration. It is a known fact that Yorubas are 100 per cent indigenous in six states namely Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos. They form very sizeable number in both Kwara and Kogi. They are also indigenous in some parts of Delta and Edo states. If all these are put together, they are just about ten! Far short of the minimum number of states required to be registered as a political party in Nigeria.”
While conceding that Afenifere does not discriminate on the basis of religious faith or gender of any member or prospective member “it is very strict in ensuring that only people with Yoruba blood in them are admitted as members. Which is why you cannot hear that the organization has branches in states outside the states where Yoruba are indigenous.”
While conceding that the body has Diaspora branches, Ajayi was emphatic that diaspora presence outside Nigeria was not part of the conditions to meet to qualify for registration with INEC. “Yes, we have branches in North America and Europe etc. All such Diasporan branches of Afenifere are 100 per cent made up of people of Yoruba descent.
He added that were Afenifere to be a political party, each time INEC invites political parties, the organization would have been invited. Same thing holds when the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria, summons a meeting. But, as we know, Afenifere was never invited to any IPAC meeting.
Afenifere spokesman also quoted Pa Fasoranti as saying that Afenifere is a law-abiding organization. “To us, not only has the presidential election of February 25, 2023 produced a President for Nigeria, the person declared by INEC as the winner of the election is currently the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria until and unless otherwise declared by competent courts in the land. We are saying this not just because the individual in question, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is Yoruba and our preferred choice, but because he is the one that all legal apparatuses in the land declared as President.”
He added that being a law-abiding organization, Afenifere would not do anything that is tantamount to felony or breaching of the law of the land. The statement added that members of the public should disregard any claim by anybody suggesting that Afenifere is a political party or that the outcome of February 25, 2023 election is unacceptable.
“Finally, we seize this opportunity to reiterate that the basis of Afenifere’s existence is Yoruba interest first and most. We believe unconditionally that Yoruba interests are paramount to us. Incidentally, Yoruba interests are not at variance with the overall interests of the majority of Nigerians. Yorubas believe in equity, justice and fairness. They believe in peaceful co-existence whereby one does not constitute threat to his or her neighbor and a society where welfare of the people in a secured environment is paramount. Being democrats, Yorubas also believe strongly in each nationality in Nigeria (that so desires) to be in a position to determine its own affairs within the ambit of federal system in Nigeria. That was why we were shouting about Restructuring.”
He concluded by emphasizing that rather than being a political party, Afenifere is a philosophy steeped in freedom for all and life more abundant for all. This is why the social and cultural component of Afenifere philosophy is greater than the political angle as all Yoruba people cannot belong to the same political party. Besides, it is when a people’s social and culture practices are adroit that their political philosophy and political practices would be people-centred.
Packaged by Alice Egbedele
