Gbadebo Adeagbo
Afenifere’s position on Atiku is simply based on restructuring Nigeria and perhaps improving on the loopholes they have observed since the start of President Muhammadu Buhari adminstration. A statement according to Yemi Odumakin clearly endorsed the Atiku/Obi ticket as the best for the country with yet a fascinating and uncertain reasons. For the Yoruba socio-political largest organ to have ignore their son who is also vying for the position of vice president is not only suspicion but more is kept hidden for us to see. Whichever way the pendulum will swing,the Yoruba group have taken there stand. They have made the world realised that the larger percentage of the Yoruba ethnic groups is backing their candidate. Of course we cannot quickly conclude that the set of erudite have taken the decision out of duress or ignorance. Nigerians or any other close observers should respect their decision nevertheless.
We must quickly remind ourselves that restructuring Nigeria is said to be the best irregardless of political sentiments or ethnic disparity. Those who have benefited in a well stabilised political atmosphere will attest to the fact that restructuring is not only good but remains the lasting solution to our collective problem. Some of the beneficiaries of the post Independence era are still alive making the history recent rather than ancient.
Afenifere must be ready to face complexities. The socio-political group must be fully prepared to harvest the handwork they have devoted into the Atiku/Obi ticket. They must think twice or yet rescind the decision in the interest of Yoruba land. There’s no need to hire a marabout to delineate the arrangements in the two dominant parties ahead the general election. After all, they realised that the decision they made is to erase the hope of the southwest becoming president should president Muhammadu Buhari fails to secure a win in the next presidential election.
Professor Ade Ajayi a renowned historian postulates that”It is a truism that the past co-exists with the present and
you cannot understand the present without understanding the past
with which it co-exists. Nor can you plan for the future without understanding the past and the present with which it coexist”. The reflection of this is rather instructive than mere foresight. With that Afenifere should remember the ugly days when they cry without help. They should be ready for yet another marginalization because history is attached to every step taken .
There is no more better time to remind the Yoruba socio-political pretenders on the wails they embarked on during Jonathan’s adminstration. The group and other Yoruba unity forum had complained bitterly on sidelining the entire Yoruba in key positions. The top six positions in Nigerian was dominated by the north , southeast and South south. Without having a misconstrued analysis,the Yoruba group had solicited for the coming of Goodluck Jonathan and Namadi Sambo as the best xenagogue for redefining the unity of Nigeria. The game unfold and the venom of the serpent sting them for their mistrust and double standards.Chief Ayo Adebanjo, had once said , during the embarrassing moments that the present arrangement is very unfair to the Southwest. He added that even in the distribution of projects like the repair of federal roads in the country, the Southwest is being marginalised.
Hilariously, they have quickly forgotten that the alliance with the Obasanjo decision will soon spell doom and no one will be there to rescue such a visible shipwreck. They should be reminded that the merger is a total clandestine that reveals to them a promising tomorrow.No need to seek a pedagogic approach to school the Yoruba pseudo apologist of imminent fear of paranoid they should yet prepare for.
I believe as humans designed to make errors and commit shortfalls, afenifere should of course have an alternative plans. Atiku’s position on restructuring and his public utterance should be perused critically. He had once argued that Nigeria should rather be restructured on geopolitical borders rather than economic interventional approach as opined by Yemi Osinbajo. This message of public sympathy should not only be held firmly by afenifere and other pro-Atiku but be kept in archive should he failed to deliver his basis of his argument.
Yoruba being a formidable force in national political structure can only seize power at the center through a better alliance. Tinubu decided to take the Action Congress of Nigeria away from the tutelage of the socio-political group to gain national recognition on basis of general acceptability and presentation as better alternative for Nigerians.
With Obasanjo supporting supporting Atiku after several years of rejection and public defamation one should quickly move to conclude that the decision is designed to satisfy personal interest in detriment to Yoruba agenda. Both Obasanjo and Afenifere should not only be ready to start a dirty fight with the progressive Yorubas but to also convince the Yorubas and Nigerians at large that there decision is best at this given point in time.
The progressives should know that the battle lines have been drawn and that the integrity and anti corruption campaign will not work perfectly unlike 2015. They should endeavor to clear the sepulchre motives and the propensity to mistrust that may endanger their chances for the fight is between the supposed owner of Nigeria and the supposed reformers.
Gbadebo Adeagbo is a public affairs analyst. He writes from Ado Ekiti.
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