Pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere have refused to recognise the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC as Nigeria’s substantive president.
Like the Middlebelt and Southern Elders forum, the group distanced itself from INEC’s conduct of the elections, labeling it fraudulent.
In a statement signed and released by its National leader and Secretary General, Pa Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Sola Ebiseni, after its Special General Meeting, held, at Isanya-Ogbo, Ogun State, on Tuesday, March 7, the group said Peter Obi was the rightful winner of the Presidential election.
The group further denied sending any congratulatory message in the name of the group to any candidate.
The statement read, “The results of the lawful votes at the election available to the Afenifere through credible sources confirm that His Excellency Peter Gregory Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, won the said election and we thus support his decision challenging the contrary Declaration by the INEC.
“The General Meeting hereby denounce in strong terms and dissociate Afenifere from any congratulatory message in the name of the Organisation or howsoever to any candidate as illegally declared by the INEC.
“Afenifere reiterates that for equity, fairness, national cohesion and peaceful corporate existence, the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be person of its Southern part and specifically the South East. We call on Nigerians to troop out enmasse and participate fully in the Gubernatorial and Houses of Assembly elections slated for the 11th March 2023.
“That with particular reference to Lagos State, Afenifere confirms that the Governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is a person of Yoruba origin, whose great- grandparents are not only Yoruba but definitely one of the notable founding families of Lagos. We unequivocally endorse and urge the people of Lagos to vote for him,” it said
Reviewing, the last elections, the group stated that INEC failed to comply with its laid down electoral rules.
These according to them include “destruction of ballot papers, snatching of ballot boxes, doctoring of figures and swapping of votes of candidates at the coalition centers through the amended and outlawed manual procedures.
