Fasoranti’s Death: Why reconciliation in Afenifere will be difficult — Okurounmu, ex-Secretary

•Group’s future uncertain —Mogaji Adejumo By Dapo Akinrefon Tongues across the country are wagging over a possible leadership crisis within the once formidable pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, especially with the demise of its leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti. Fasoranti died on Tuesday at the age of 100 years. Before his death, the Yoruba group had been engulfed in leadership crisis.

It is instructive to note that Afenifere hinges on a traditional, non-competitive succession process to choose its next leader. However, the body faces the critical task of unifying its historically fractured factions. While the old guards like Chief Olu Falae express hope that a new leader will emerge seamlessly through ancestral custom, key insiders paint a much bleaker picture of the group’s future.

How division set in In 2023, its then Acting Leader, late Pa Ayo Adebanjo, rocked the boat by suspending two of its officials, the National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi and National Organising Committee, Abagun Kole Omololu. The suspension, however, led to a split and worsened the crisis. Both officials were removed from office and subsequently suspended for alleged uncouth activities and issuance of unauthorised statements, as well as constant denigration of the organisation.

Recall that in November 2022, the late Afenifere leader, Pa Fasoranti, insisted that he remained the leader of the group. This was after he had named his deputy, late Pa Ayo Adebanjo, as the leader of the organization. Pa Adebanjo, who was taken aback over Fasoranti’s suddenly change of mind, had alleged that there was an attempt to split the organisation.

Observers of events in the polity were of the view that he was not far from the truth. The split, however became a reality. It was as a result of the fact that during the 2023 electioneering campaign, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had visited Pa Fasoranti in Akure, where the former Lagos State governor was endorsed.

The decision did not sit well with the Adebanjo group. How Fasoranti stepped down in 2021 It will be recalled that in March 2021, Pa Fasoranti stepped down as Afenifere leader, citing old age. While Adebanjo had endorsed Peter Obi, who was presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, the Fasoranti group, threw its weight behind Tinubu. Fasoranti had named the deputy leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, as the acting national leader of the group, while the former financial secretary, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, the Alaago of Kajola Ago in Atakumosa East Council Area, Ilesa, Osun State, was named the group’s deputy leader.

Fasoranti had said: “The development became necessary as the group needs, more than ever before, to have an improved organisation with a more effective approach to combat the monstrous invasion of our culture and pride as a people. “Only a more alike and active leadership can achieve this. At 95 I am hardly able to provide such and so it is time for me to step aside.

“At this junction, I am proud to announce Chief Ayo Adebanjo, a politician of the Awolowo school of thought, as Acting leader of Afenifere and Oba Oladipo Olaitan, the Alaago of Kajola Ago in Atakumosa East Local Government Area, as the Deputy Leader.” The late Afenifere leader, in a viral video had claimed: “I am still the leader of Afenifere. Afenifere has not endorsed Obi, we are endorsing Jagaban (Bola Tinubu) for the presidency.

“You can see the trend, the approval and the acceptability. You could see what happened when Tinubu came to meet me in Akure. The media carried the whole thing. “Adebanjo cannot warn me not to welcome Tinubu. Can he do that successfully? “What happened was that Adebanjo took a stand and I took a stand. I didn’t call him and he didn’t call me. We never spoke about the visit.

“As you can see, Jagaban is accepted and we approve of him. Obi has no stand in our mind at all.” Adebanjo counters Fasoranti But in a swift reaction, Ayo Adebanjo, known to be a staunch Awoist, faulted Tinubu’s visit to Pa Fasoranti, saying the comments trailing it were aimed at dividing the group. Adebanjo, who earlier endorsed Peter Obi, said: “Nothing is going on other than an attempt to split Afenifere to which I will not be a party.

“It is a sort of conspiracy among those who want to see Afenifere divided. They have been on this plan for over a month ago and my members came to me to alert me about it and I said, ‘Don’t talk about it. It would be a diversion. All we want now is an election on issues.” He said Pa Fasoranti had called to inform him about Tinubu’s planned visit adding that the former Afenifere leader was initially not open to receiving the APC candidate but he persuaded him to do so.

Adebanjo had said: “I will tell you the story and I won’t go further. Pa Fasoranti phoned me on Friday that Tinubu had phoned him and that he wanted to come and see him and he wanted to say no. I said no, don’t do that, you are an elder statesman. If he wanted to see yo