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‘Tinubu’s 2023 presidential ambition is about personal interest,’ Leader of Yoruba self-determination group, Akintoye, declares

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The Leader of the umbrella body of Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Group, Ilana Omo Odu’a, Prof. Banji Akintoye, said on Thursday the 2023 presidential ambition of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu, was about personal interest.

Akintoye, who stated this in a statement he personally signed, declared that the former Lagos State governor’s now famous “emilokan” chant had shown that his interest in the nation’s presidency was personal and not for the welfare of the Yoruba people.

The professor of History also dismissed claims that he had endorsed Tinubu for the presidency, saying he would not vote for the APC candidate in next year’s election.

The leaders of the Yoruba self-determination group had last year accused the former governor of betraying the people of the region in their quest for freedom from the Nigerian State.

The statement read: “Our brother, Tinubu, you are fighting for yourself alone when your whole family is perishing. There is fire on our roof as a nation. It is unbelievable that any Yoruba man would do to his people what you are doing to our people now.

“You have been carrying around a video of an interview that I granted Alaroye in the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University over two years ago. They asked me that if there was no struggle for self-determination and you want to recommend a Yoruba person for President of Nigeria, who would I recommend? And I said yes! If that is so, I would recommend Tinubu without any hesitation.

Read also:2023: Northern Christian leaders want APC to withdraw Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate

“But that is if the times are right, the times are not right, you know, I do not endorse any Yoruba man, Tinubu or any other for any elected position, any position at all in Nigeria at this time. I stand fully and without looking back, with the Yoruba struggle for self-determination for our own country, for the Yoruba nation now!

“That’s the truth of the matter. Dear Tinubu, please don’t deceive yourself. You cannot deceive our people. You think you can carry that kind of video around and deceive our people, our people are smarter than that. The world is watching you.

“Our history will judge that at a time when our nation needs to stand up and defend itself, you started to bring up an agenda. A personal agenda of your own before them and you are asking us to vote for you. We will not vote for you. Whether it is for the presidency or the Senate or House of Representatives or whatever, we will not vote for you. We would have taken our country out of Nigeria by then. So, we advise you now to return to your people. I am advising you now, to return to your people and wash your soul clean. You are doing a thing that is unpardonable.”

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