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 Daily Independent Online.
* Monday, July 26, 2004.
Let Afenifere accommodate
all Yoruba, George tells Adesanya
By
Habib Aruna
Assistant Political Editor, Lagos
Leader
of the People’s Democratic Party in the South West and the party’s
National Vice-Chairman, Chief Olabode George, has called on Chief Abraham
Adesanya to widen the Afenifere’s umbrella to cut across all
shades of political persuasions in the interest of the region.
This,
according to George, is imperative if the region wants to maintain its
relevance in the changing political terrain of the country. He said this
has even become necessary because some of the elders in the region were
not growing younger.
Speaking in
Lagos at the weekend, the PDP leader maintained that there was the need
for politicians in the region to close ranks as according to him, the
country faces the uncertainty of the 2007 general elections.
He therefore requested that
Adesanya should be the arrowhead of this new convergence.
“What I have
said to Papa and I am happy I said it publicly is that papa should
represent that personality for the whole of the Yoruba, to make sure that
whether Yoruba A is in party B or Yoruba B is in party Z, is irrelevant.
“The point is
that even if you quarrel on the field, you have a rallying point to come
back home to say can you hear. “What is the Arewa Consultative Forum?
Don’t they accept all shades? What about Ohanaeze? So, why are we saying
this one is for this? That is no longer fashionable.
We are saying
call it whatever you like.
“They say
Afenifere is Alliance for Democracy (AD), In Yoruba Afenifere means
somebody who wants good for the other person. No one wants evil for the
other person. So, whether they give it another acronym or whatever, we
need a rallying point. Papa TOS Benson said they are in departure now,
before they call their flight. And before they call their flight we are
saying that let them all together call all hands to be on deck and get us
ready for the turmoil of 2007. So that back here we are not lacking,” he
added.
George
explained that none of the other sections of the country would tolerate
any ambitious politicians from the South West after occupying the
presidency for eight years. They would, in his words, said eight years is
enough?
“Now it is
turn by turn Nigeria Limited. There are six zones, let the other go and
trash it out and then of course we would be here united to demand what
will be the best for the South West. Not for individuals, but what will
collectively be the best in the interest of the south West,” George
stressed.
On the
perceived rift between the Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu and Senator
Adeseye Ogunlewe, minister of Works, George said the public was just
hiking a crisis where there was none, adding that both parties were
operating on different levels.
“ I have
often said there is no wahala between Ogunlewe and Tinubu, why are you
people hiking these things? Look, Ogunlewe is the honourable Minister of
Works; Tinubu is the Governor of Lagos State, functions are well defined,
there is no problem, in actions or inactions, there is no quarrel. We
have said loud and clear. Everybody has his own job to do and they should
face their jobs.”
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