The acting leader of the Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo has reacted to media reports claiming that he is no longer the leader of the group.
Naija News recalls that trouble began to brew in the socio-cultural organisation after the leader of the group, Pa Reuben Fasoranti endorsed the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Akure, Ondo State
The endorsement is coming after Adebanjo pledged his support to Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Fasoranti, while speaking in Akure, said he remains the leader of Afenifere and dismissed the claim that the group had endorsed Peter Obi.
Reacting to the reports that he was no longer the leader of the group, Adebanjo told the Punch that Fasoranti resigned from the position about two years ago, arguing that Afenifere was not a monarchy.
He stated, “Pa Fasoranti resigned on his own two years ago. I don’t want to go into that. He is no more the leader and I am saying that emphatically. Where does he derive the power to say I have resigned and I am coming back?
“Where is that in the constitution of Afenifere? Is Afenifere a monarchy? The pressmen should put that question to him particularly when you have seen the letter by which he resigned. You don’t continue to fan problems at this time, we want to move forward and I don’t want to engage in this argument of ‘you’re the leader and you’re not the leader.’ His time is past, that’s all.”
However, a statement issued by Pa Fasoranti’s personal assistant, Adedapo Abiola, in Akure, has said that the media reports were false.
The terse statement read: “It has come to Papa R.F. Fasoranti’s knowledge that some sections of the media, especially the social media, have been ascribing to him false statements designed to cause confusion and polarize Afenifere.
“I have Papa’s permission to say that he has not said that Chief Ayo Adebanjo is no longer the acting leader of Afenifere or that all future Afenifere meetings should henceforth be held at his residence in Akure.”
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