2023: Afenifere Leader explains reason for backing Peter Obi

Leader of Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Ayo Adebanjo has said that Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, shares the same values with him.

It would be recalled that Adebanjo and the leadership of Southern and Middle Belt Forum (SMBLF) had on Tuesday met with the LP presidential flagbearer.

Speaking on the meeting with the former governor of Anambra in an interview on Channels TV, Adebanjo said that Obi believes in the restructuring of the nation and is also fighting for oppressed Nigerians.

He went on to condemn the present constitution the country is operating with, insisting that it was a fraudulent one that is not beneficial to the growth of the country.

According to him: “He (Obi) came to meet Southern and Middlebelt leaders in my house. It was an exchange of views; we believe in the same cause.

“We are all partners in progress. The fight he is fighting is a fight for the oppressed.

“Restructuring was at the front burner; we should have a country first before we have any development plan. That is the pillar on which the Southern and Middlebelt leaders stand.

“Constitutional review, community policing, devolution of power and others are all embedded in restructuring. Where we have a constitution where everybody is dissatisfied, you won’t have peace and without peace, there will be no stability. These are fundamental.

“There is nothing new about restructuring; we are only saying let us go back to where we started before the military came. Where did we start? The constitution was made in 1964, endorsed by Awolowo, Azikwe and Sardauna, and was what we had until the military came in 1966 and imposed this constitution.

“This constitution is a fraudulent one and the government has never refuted it. They set aside the constitution before 1966, imposed this one and included all the things that were excluded that are causing confusion till today. We must go back to that constitution.”