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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Why we paid solidarity visit to Odumegwu-Ojukwu, by Afenifere
IT is the need to erase the wrong impression that the Yoruba are working with President Olusegun Obasanjo to humiliate the Igbo that necessitated the recent solidarity visit by the Yoruba political group, Afenifere, to Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Afenifere's acting leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, has said.
Fasoranti said the Yoruba people would not support injustice against any ethnic group simply because the President is from the South-West. The solidarity visit, he explained, was imperative given the manner in which Odumegwu-Ojukwu was invited by the State Security Service (SSS).
His words: "Afenifere is not supporting Odumegwu-Ojukwu to ignore the SSS or any security agency for that matter. But he was not properly invited by the security agency. This is a civilian government and things must be done in a democratic way."
According to the Afenifere leader, the Yoruba will not support Obasanjo if he is going wrong, adding that Odumegwu-Ojukwu is a big political figure not only in the South-East, but also across the country.
"We visited Odumegwu-Ojukwu to erase the impression that the Yoruba is supporting Obasanjo's plans to humiliate the Igbo or any other tribe for that matter. Obasanjo has no mandate of the Yoruba in his misrule", he said.
He noted that the Yoruba people are always noted for fighting against injustice and the group was ever battle-ready to checkmate Obasanjo's misrule.
Fasoranti cited the example of Alhaji Aliyu Shugaba who was illegally deported during the President Shehu Shagari administration, adding the Yoruba defended him.
The Afenifere leader insisted that the inability of Obasanjo to move the nation forward after five years in the saddle have grave political implications for the Yoruba. He however, noted that the Yoruba are not surprised that Obasanjo's government has failed. "We saw his failure ahead, that was why we did not support him in 1999. And we still stand by that decision, because he was not our people's candidate�, he said.
He said Obasanjo was imposed on the country by the tiny cabal that has always held this country to ransom.
To check the drifting ship of state, Fasoranti urged Obasanjo to quickly convoke a national conference to give the people an opportunity to discuss the future of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Chief Ayo Adebanjo has restated the position of Afenifere to mobilise the Yoruba to resist the new fuel increase.
He said there was no justification for the fuel price increase, insisting that if the Labour Bill was passed by the Senate in order to pave way for Obasanjo to "kill" Nigerians through harsh economic returns, such a plan would fail.
"The battle is for the Lord. This government is worse than that of Sani Abacha. The people rose up against it. We shall fight and put an end to this evil government", he said.
Adebanjo regretted that Nigerians forget so soon that it was during Obasanjo's regime as a military leader that fuel price increase became more rampant.
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