AFENIFERE TO ATIKU: We don’t endorse aspirants

The pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Tuesday said that it is not it’s practice to endorse any aspirant vying for political position.

Leader of the group, Reuben Fasoranti told former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a Presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who paid him a visit in Akure, the Ondo State capital, that reports that Afenifere had adopted an aspirant for the forthcoming presidential elections were untrue.

There have been conflicting signals from the leadership of Afenifere recently, as Senator Ayo Fasanmi had recently thrown his weight behind the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari, against the reported choice of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar by the larger body.

Afenifere leaders had at a meeting in Lagos, announced that it has endorsed Atiku, describing him as the greatest champion of restructuring from the North.

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But Fasoranti, who spoke through Afenifere’s General Secretary, Basorun Sehinde Arogbofa said: “In Afenifere we cannot impose anybody on people, the people have to decide what they want as regards to their choice.

“It is step by step, it will be very wrong for any group to endorse any aspirant now that that they are yet to be the candidate of the parties.”

A statement from the group, reads: “The attention of Afenifere has been drawn to a spurious report in circulation that the group has adopted a Presidential aspirant for the 2019 elections.

“We ordinarily would have ignored the report as it makes no sense to suggest that a serious group would adopt an aspirant when political parties are yet to produce candidates.

“A rebuttal is, however, being issued for the sake of the unwary who may be hoodwinked by the said report.
“We must state emphatically that our preoccupation at the moment is to engage Presidential aspirants vis-a-vis our conviction that for Nigeria to make progress. It must be restructured into a truly federal polity .

“It is when political parties have put forward their candidates that Afenifere and its partners across Nigeria in the Nigerian Leaders and Elders Forum would make a choice of a candidate whose vision and commitment tally with our quest for a productive and working Nigeria.”

 

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