Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has responded to former Osun State governor, Bisi Akande, who claimed that the organization is dead.
Akande made the statement during an interview with journalist Edmund Obilo, where he said that Afenifere ceased to exist after the assassination of former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Bola Ige, in 2002.
He stated: “That was the beginning of the crack (in Afenifere) but the end came with the death of Bola Ige. The death of Bola Ige was the death of Afenifere. He found it and he took it away.”
However, Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye, has strongly rejected Akande’s claim, insisting that the group is still alive and evolving.
In a statement titled ‘Afenifere Can Never Die’, Faloye explained that Afenifere is not just a political group but a philosophy that continues to grow with each generation.
He noted that Afenifere, founded over 70 years ago, has survived different political and historical challenges, including military rule, and has always adapted to new realities.
During Nigeria’s military regimes, the group functioned as a socio-cultural movement since political activities were restricted.
However, with the return of democracy in 1979 and again in 1999, Afenifere played a key role in forming political parties such as the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), the Alliance for Democracy (AD), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The statement reads: “Afenifere is not a human being with limited lifecycles, but a universal philosophical essence of Justice and egalitarianism that must undergo rebirth, to address current generational issues.
“The concept and political space of Afenifere of ‘Abundance for All’ will always be relevant, especially in democratic dispositions. What we are currently seeing is the ideological shifting of chaff from wheat.
“Afenifere started 71 years ago but following the coup and military rule, it temporarily became a socio-cultural group since all political agencies are banned under military rule. But once Nigeria returned to democracy in 1979 and 1999, those with social democratic and welfare ideals created political parties to get power in order to fulfil those egalitarian ideals.
“In 1979, Afenifere created the Unity Party of Nigeria, and in this current disposition, it was instrumental in creating the Alliance for Democratic, AD, Social Democratic Party, SDP.
“What has been happening in this current disposition can be traced back to Afenifere rebirth in the ‘90s agitation for democracy, when due to political expediencies under General Ibrahim Babaginda (retd), Afenifere was forced to align with various people to avoid banning.
“Unfortunately, some of the new entrants like Tinubu never shared the Afenifere ideology but joined the ranks in their quest for power, pretending to be progressive welfarists and social democrats. Upon getting to power in 1999, these pseudo-Afenifere began to show their true character and departed from Afenifere ideological position.
“By 2003, Tinubu as Lagos Governor officially broke ranks with the real Afenifere, which involved some people moving away to form factions that were Afenifere in name but not character. In every election cycle ever since then, those with prebendalistic ambitions join Tinubu which is practising dictatorial neo-liberal economics, instead of social democratic welfare economics according to the name of Afenifere.
“They deceitfully replaced Afenifere political ideology and identity with a socio-cultural tag of ethnic irredentism to explain away their selfish prebendalism of Awalokan. It is about them and their families converting and sharing our commonwealth, not about empowering and uplifting the common man.
“However, as some leave, more informed knowledgeable and pro-people younger people are rising to push Afenifere egalitarian ideals as dictated and empowered by Ayo Adebanjo and Oba Oladipo Olaitan.
“So when the likes of Bisi Akande say Afenifere is dead, he is talking about the passion for the people of some in his Prebendalist generation dying, not Afenifere, the ideology and political space. Afenifere is currently evolving and being purified to take control of our manifest destiny to uplift the greatest amount of people ever.
“Afenifere like the world and universe can’t die but will continue evolving in generational cycles to higher levels of political evolution and existence.
“Afenifere is by no means dead but evolving across generations. We have the tutelage of elders like Prof Onigbinde, Shonibare and other notable personalities that grew under the tutelage of the likes of Awolowo, Bola Ige and Baba Adesanya. Afenifere lives on.”
