Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political organization, has maintained that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, won the presidential election of February 25, 2023, according to the results it gathered from a reliable source.
The group expressed its support for Obi’s decision to challenge the outcome of the election in court.
The Yoruba group, in a communique released following its Special General Meeting held on Tuesday, dissociated itself from any congratulatory message extended to the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose victory Afenifere insisted was not legally decared by the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Afenifere further re-emphasized the need for a President of Igbo extraction saying it was necessary for fairness, equity, national cohesion, and Nigeria’s peaceful coexistence.
In the communique which was endorsed by Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the group’s leader and its Secretary-General, Sola Ebiseni, Afenifere called on the people of Nigeria to come out in large numbers to take part in the upcoming state level elections on Saturday.
They called on the people of Lagos State especially, to back the gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party in the state, saying he was a true son of the soil.
According to Afenifere: “the results of the lawful votes at the election available to the Afenifere through credible sources confirm that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, won the said election and we, thus, support his decision challenging the contrary declaration by the INEC.
“The General Meeting, hereby, denounce in strong terms and dissociate Afenifere from any congratulatory message in the name of the organisation or howsoever to any candidate as illegally declared by the INEC.
“Afenifere reiterates that for equity, fairness, national cohesion and peaceful corporate existence, the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be person of its southern part and specifically the South-East.
“We call on Nigerians to troop out en masse and participate fully in the gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections slated for the 11 March 2023.
“That with particular reference to Lagos State, Afenifere confirms that the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is a person of Yoruba origin, whose great-grandparents are not only Yoruba, but definitely one of the notable founding families of Lagos.
“We unequivocally endorse and urge the people of Lagos to vote for him.”
The organization condemned the malpractices recorded at the presidential election
According to them, the malpractices include “destruction of ballot papers, snatching of ballot boxes, doctoring of figures and swapping of votes of candidates at the coalition centres through the amended and outlawed manual procedures which rendered the 25th February 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections flawed in several respects as confirmed by local and international observers.”
Afenifere consequently called “on INEC to ensure free and credible gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections in accordance with the constitution, the extant Electoral Act and its mandatory Guidelines earlier mentioned.
“That in accordance with the hallowed Yoruba culture of civilised conduct, Afenifere assures all persons resident in Yorubaland, indigenes and non-indegenes, of protection in the conduct of their lawful duties and particularly the free exercise of the rights to vote for candidates of their choice in all elections and thus warn all threats mongers and merchants of violence to desist therefrom.”
It further called on Aso Rock and authorities concerned to make adequate security available all over the country during the election.
Afenifere said “the international community should show special concerns in the ongoing electioneering process in Nigeria in the interest of peace of the global community.”
