Afenifere fires officials for stoking ethnic tension
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Afenifere has fired two national officials for issuing unauthorised statements and denigrating the Yoruba socio-political organisation.
A communiqué jointly issued by Afenifere leader Ayo Adebanjo and Secretary General Sola Ebiseni after a monthly meeting in Isanya Ogbo, Ogun State announced the sack of National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi and National Organising Secretary Kole Omololu.
Omololu recently issued a statement warning Ohanaeze Ndigbo Council of Elders Chairman Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu to stop insulting the Yoruba.
Afenifere said “it received a message credited to Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu in a viral video allegedly indicting the Yoruba as political rascals on account of ethnic violence deployed by politicians of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State.
“On the analysis of the video and information at the disposal of Afenifere by people at the Anambra State gathering, we are convinced that Iwuanyanwu rightly asserted that the Yoruba and Igbo were not at war and truly condemned the shenanigans of some political rascals.
“Flowing from the above, Afenifere never issued any statement and dissociates the organisation from any statement against Iwuanyanwu.”
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Unauthorised statements
“Afenifere observed the uncouth activities and unauthorised statements in its name and to the denigration of the organisation by Jare Ajayi, the National Publicity Secretary and Abagun Kole Omololu the National Organising Committee,” the communique said, via reporting by Vanguard.
“After due consideration of the unending embarrassing conduct of the two officers, the Meeting resolved that they be and are, hereby, removed immediately from their respective offices and their membership be suspended sine die pending further decisions after their appearance before and recommendations by the Disciplinary Committee.”
Merchants of violence
“We restate our position that, under the hallowed Yoruba culture of civilised conduct, Afenifere assures all persons resident in Yorubaland, indigenes and non-indigenes, of protection in the conduct of their lawful duties and thus warn all threats mongers and merchants of violence to desist therefrom.”
Afeniere also “condemn in the strongest terms, the campaigns of calumny and acts of ethnic violence deployed by some politicians and their hired criminal gangs in several parts of the federation during the gubernatorial election, particularly Lagos State where the election was made to appear like an inter-ethnic war between the Yoruba and Igbo which greatly led to voters’ suppression and other forms of deliberate disenfranchisement through brigandage.
“We believe in the judiciary as an integral part of the democratic process and expect that it proves itself in the election litigations now pending before it, without fear or favour and by the judicial oaths of its members, in covenant with the Nigerian people.”