ONDO 2024: Group condemns plot to lure Afenifere for endorsement
Says Afenifere leader, Pa Fasoranti too decent to be used as pun
By Samuel Ogunsona
A social Political group in Ondo State, Progressives Forum, has accused a gubernatorial candidate of plotting to drag the Afenifere leader, Pa Rueben Fasoranti into the politics of endorsement ahead of the 2024 poll.
The group said instead of campaigning on programmes and reaching out to the masses, the particular candidate is seeking endorsement from a respected individual.
The group said it has uncovered the fresh plot by some desperate politicians in the state to truncate and pervert the cause of democratic procedures ahead of the gubernatorial primary election.
The APC primary is scheduled to hold on April 20.
The group in a statement made available to Irohinoodua accused politicians who are desperate to occupy political office of undermining democratic tradition meant to sanitise the political space, by seeking undue attention and endorsements from the highly revered Afenifere leader to gain undue advantage.
The group’s spokesman, Babasanmi Akintan in a statement issued in Akure expressed concern about the political attitude that subverts the electoral process, stressing that political party’s primary election goes beyond endorsements and political patronage.
He expressed optimisms that Afenifere under Pa Reuben Fasoranti would not stoop so low to endorse desperate politicians.
“We are inundated with the plans of an aspirant to ferry the leader of AFENIFERE, PA REUBEN Fasoranti, and some members of this noble and cherished cultural association to Abuja for endorsement on 16th April, 2024”.
According to him, the health of the centenarian, Pa Reuben Fasoranti who is adjudged to be the Leader of the Yoruba race at this material time should be paramount and not to be taking for granted by making him travel to cover long distance, for political engagement and score cheap political points.
He however warned desperate politicians to desist from coercing the Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti from their planned and forceful endorsement, stressing that such is capable of tarnishing the image and good name the centenarian has been building many years back at the twilight of the Afenifere leader’s life for personal ambition.
“Pa Fasoranti is a respected leader of AFENIFERE and the Yoruba race in particular, he’s very close to 100 years of age and certainly too old to be taken up and down in the name of endorsement as this will not serve any purpose in this primary election”.
“It should also be noted that this kind of unpleasant idea can only come from someone who is too desperate to be the governor of Ondo State, this is a glaring attempt to destroy the credibility of Baba Fasoranti that he spent several decades to build and someone is desperately making efforts to destroy it at the twilight of the old man’s life, because of personal ambition”.
The Spokesman of the group who further queried reasons while Afenifere is not endorsing a PDP Aspirant, Chief Sola Ebiseni who happens to be the secretary of the Pan Yoruba cultural group, also faulted the decision of those he described as desperate politicians to embark on a fruitless mission that has nothing to do with the party primaries, while emphasising that Pa Fasoranti remained the father of all, who will rather pray for all contestants as his children than hobnobbing with desperate politicians.
“If I may ask, why is AFENIFERE not endorsing the secretary of the group, Chief Sola Ebiseni, who is also contesting for governorship position on the platform of PDP? Pa Fasoranti has remained the father of all. He is very old and fragile. What he has been doing is to pray for all aspirants as his children. The idea of ferrying PA REUBEN Fasoranti to Abuja and getting President Tinubu’s endorsement by any aspirant is a show of desperation and should be discarded” .
Akintan who called for a collective effort to address the challenges and threats to democracy in Ondo state through personal aggrandizement and frivolous endorsement ahead of the April 20th gubernatorial primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) further said, he has explained in his several articles that what would determine the APC flag bearer in the next party primaries in the state are; loyalty to the party, political charisma, capacity, credibility, and other factors.
