For pitching tent against a political party and for the role played during the last general election, the Yoruba farmers’ group, the Agbekoya, has described the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and the militant Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), as a disgrace to the Yorubas.
Agbekoya said the ignoble role allegedly played by the Afenifere and the OPC in the just-concluded general election, had adversely affected their credibility and relevance in the reckoning of their Yoruba kinsmen.
The Afenifere and the OPC had thrown their weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during the general election.
But the Secretary of the Agbekoya, Dr. Ade Ogunlana, in a statement he jointly signed with the Ambassador of the society, Chief Ajibola Salau, said the role of the two Yoruba groups during the polls, left much to be desired.
The Agbekoya alleged that since the demise of the former Afenifere leader, Chief Abraham Adesanya, the organisation had become factionalised and used by unscrupulous persons to ‘sell out’ the Yoruba people.
Similarly, the Agbekoya accused the OPC of falsely claiming to be fighting the cause of the Yoruba, while in fact; it was only interested in pursuing its own selfish agenda.
The farmers’ group, therefore, described Afenifere and the OPC as a ‘disgrace’ to the entire Yoruba race due to their stance in the just-concluded elections, adding that their open involvement in partisan politics had cast serious doubts on their integrity as organisations fighting the cause of the Yoruba race.
It stated: “The Afenifere and the OPC have lost their relevance and credibility in the eyes of the Yoruba people due to the role they played in the last general election. The two organisations have become a disgrace to the whole Yoruba race. The people no longer reckon with them for openly aligning themselves with the politicians and their political parties.”
The Agbekoya described itself as the only group still demonstrating genuine concern for the entire Yoruba race, stressing that it had continued to maintain its stance since its establishment in 1938.
The group assured that it would never dabble in partisan politics, adding that although it would cooperate with the government to move the Nigerian nation forward, it would not align itself with any politician or political party
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