Afenifere and Challenges of Restructuring
A couple of weeks back, Afenifere, a pan Yoruba socio-political group met during its weekly assembly meeting in Lagos and resolved among other things, to change its image from that of a Yoruba organisation to an all inclusive ethno-religious organisation. However, there was also another meeting at Ijebu-Igbo last Friday where Afenifere was meant to have put a final seal to the proposed restructuring. In this report, Olawale Olaleye looks the new political challenges before the restructured Afenifere
Sometime ago, Pa Emmnauel Alayande, leader of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) told a gathering of Nigerians from different ethnic groups the story of the genesis of the group, Afenifere. It was during the period when prominent politicians converge on Otta farm to implore President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek re-election in 2003.
As the old man stood up to address the gathering, he made reference to the sixties, when campaigns were led to different parts of the old Western region for elections. Some other political parties, he said, had gone to campaign in Ibadan before the Action Group (AG) got there. But as the AG advanced its campaigns to Ibadan, Alayande said the people told them that some parties had been there to canvas for their votes and that they had given their words.
But because of the AG's programmes and manifesto, Alayande said they were able to educate the people on the importance of their programmes adding that fllowing the convincing explanations, the people retorted that "se, eyin le feran omolakeji yin ju ara yin lo", meaning, so you are the ones who love others more than yourself. And like a child's play, the name Afenifere came into being.
For over 50 years, Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation has carved a political niche for itself as a fervent, resilient and democratic organisation which focus is essentially to protect, project and preserve the exclusive autonomy of the Yoruba people. And since this period, the image of Afenifere has remained with these objectives, serving as a leading light for the yoruba nation.
From the political point of view, Afenifere has remained a force to be reckoned with such that its presumed baby, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) was able to pull an overwhelming weight during the 1999 general elections winning the entire South-west geo-political zone and bringing it under its stronghold.
Besides, the influence and clout of Afenifere has grown given the role it played at past democratic struggles in the country, especially the June 12 saga that has remained a watershed in the annals of the nation's body polity. With this, it was therefore impossible, for anyone to dismiss what Afenifere could do politically. Thus, AD emerged as an indisputable political force, however only in the South-west geo-political zone, but people from other parts of the country credited Afenifere with the fear.
And so, for the four years that Afenifere reigned in the South-west courtesy of AD, the best of Afenifere was defined more by crisis-ridden situations because at every turn the AD battled virtually throughout its entire period of reign. Incidentally with crisis in the party, Afenifere was always to blame as it was seen to be meddling in the affairs of the party by virtually wanting to dictate for the party.
As the crisis in the party festered, analysts concluded that the best way out for the AD was for Afenifere to take a back and refrain from meddling in the affairs of the party. Instructively, analysts had contended that should Afenifere relax its hold on the AD, it is then the party would begin to live above ethnic sentiments as it was mainly restricted to the South-west.
But like a malignant ailment, the AD/Afenifere crisis lingered till the 2003 elections resulting in its lossing badly to the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and forcing Afenifere to retreat. Months after AD lost to the PDP. The duo of Afenifere and AD pondered over what actions to take over an elections that was considering 'massive fraud'. Although, it took a while for some of the AD governors who lost out to recover from their shock defeat in the hands of the rival PDP.
It was therefore under the circumstance, Afenifere Concepted the restructuring with the view to detach itself from a political party and accommodate as many people as it can in order to regain its dwindling political clout. Gradually change started taking place unnoticed. What was done initially, was to strengthen the AD by redeploying Afenifere's former Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye to manage its publicity section thereafter concentration was put on the restructuring proper.
At the meeting where ideas were formalised on the reform process, Afenifere came up with a restructuring agenda starting with its repositioning to give it an all-encompassing image, from what used to be in the past.
With the amendment therefore, Afenifere which has been largely reputed as a Yoruba organisation would begin to cut the image of a group that is interested in the well-being of the generality of Nigerians irrespective of their ethno-political leanings.
The restructurting which is expected to affect virtually all the facets of the group would have the list of the 11 items regulating its relationship with non-members as well as expand its horizon. What is however significant in the new arrangement is the move to replace the word Yoruba in addressing the group.
Under the new restructurting, the new mode of identifying the group would remain that "Afenifere is a socio-political and cultural organisation for Nigerians in general and Yoruba in particular who believe in the group's aims".
But Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Afenifere's Director of Publicity maintained that the new changes in Afenifere's agenda would not include non-Yoruba. "That is not the purpose", he said, adding that "the inclusion is meant to serve notice that Afenifere is interested in the welfare of people from outside the Yoruba speaking part of Nigeria".
And to show that Afenifere is serious about the proposed reform, Odumakin said the Ijebu-Igbo meeting of July 1 would ratify and put a final seal to the submissions so far put forward on the exercise. The meeting however provided scanty insight on the reform but informed that its implementation would await the guidelines of another body to be set up by the leadership.
The meeting went further to discuss the AD crisis with a view to reconciling the two factions of Bisi Akande and Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa by setting up a broad-based committee to look into the case.
Consequently, the group reviewed the Yoruba Council of Elders reconciliation efforts and encouraged its leadership to reconcile the two groups for a proper relationship that would be in the best interest of the Yoruba in general. The meeting however adopted part of the report of the political committee set up to consider ways of making Afenifere politically relevant.
However, while the political restructuring of Afenifere appears on track in the face of the dynamics of politics, there are still grey areas begging for answers. For instance, of what benefit will Afenifere be to an Igbo or Hausa when, despite his association with the group, he cannot rise beyond a level in the group?
Besides, is Afenifere itself not inadvertently putting itself at a security disadvantage if non-Yoruba are admitted as members, not minding the level of involvement? How would these other groups like the Arewa Consultative Forum and Ohaeneze view the supposed reform when Afenifere has promised not to open up chances for leadership aspiration even if their members show interest?
Ultimately, the underlying question remains; what may have informed Afenifere's reform agenda? Is it in lieu of the challenges ahead of 2007. Or that the group may have lost relevance and as such, seeks restructuring are self serving.
Although, the reform may appear brilliant, but its political implication for a group that is largely reputed to be ethnocentric in approach and standard may not be as encouraging as the leadership may have expected. While the reform plans may go on, Afenifere would do itself a whole lot of good by re-appraising some of its intentions. The thinking is that, Afenifere can still remain its old self, achieve its aims and remain relevant without necessarily putting itself at risk or compromising its age-long principles.
All the Afenifere needs to do now, is to completely separate its identity from that of AD. Afenifere cannot associate mainly with AD at the expense of others and yet, claim to be for the generality of Nigerians. But the group can let the AD be and remain an independent party and tolerate as many other parties that are willing to align with it thus, making itself open to all. That way, the proposed reform will appear meaningful and genuine without insinuations.
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