2023: Fasoranti blessed, didn’t endorse Tinubu – Afenifere Secretary-General, Ebiseni

By Adeleye Kunle

Sola Ebiseni, the Secretary General of the Yoruba Socio-Cultural group, Afenifere, has described as false the claim made in several outlets that Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the leader of the group, endorsed the candidacy of BolaTinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Ebiseni stated that it was a mere blessing rather than an endorsement.

The Chief Scribe of the Yoruba apex organisation disclosed this on Tuesday morning while fielding questions on the Arise TV show programme.

Recall that the ensuing confusion in the Yoruba socio-political group continued when Pa Fasoranti was reported to have said that the frontline Yoruba group is for Tinubu and not for Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

It was reported that Chief Ayo Adebanjo, who was said to be in an acting capacity for the group, endorsed Obi, as he insisted that it is the turn of the South-East to produce the next President.

Shortly after Adebanjo endorsed Obi, Pa Fasoranti threw his weight behind Tinubu’s 2023 bid and blessed him.

However, Ebiseni has come out to say that the meeting they held, which led to the purported endorsement of Tinubu, was not an Afenifere meeting.

“Was that an endorsement, an Afenifere endorsement? I would have loved you to ask that as the second leg of your question”.

“Now, as I told you, the meeting that they held was not an Afenifere meeting. That meeting – the notice of that meeting was issued in the name of a Whatsapp group, “Conscience of Yoruba Nation”.

“I am sure Dr Abati would be on that platform. The conscience of the Yoruba Nation, so many people are there; you don’t need to be a politician. I don’t know If Rufai is as political as Dr Abatti because I know, at a time, he wanted to be a deputy governor.”

He added, “You see, those who expressed political inclination about this time, they gathered them in the Whatsapp group, and my brother says he is the director general.

“They told people, please, we are going to hold a meeting in respect of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency, and Pa Fasoranti has agreed to host and preside over that meeting; the duration of the meeting will be only from 11 pm to 1 am. two hours.

“I told you there was a debate from 29 July 2021 to 27 September 2022 (14 months of debate), compared with two hours of the jamboree.
It was not an endorsement; Baba has the power to bless anyone.

“So, many people will still go to Pa Fasoranti for blessing; it does not deter from the decision Afenifere had taken- endorsing Peter Obi