Afenifere Removes Adebanjo as the Acting Leader, Vests the Post of Leader in Council of Elders

The pan-Yoruba cultural organization, Afenifere, has removed Chief Ayo Adebanjo as its acting leader.

It scrapped the positions of acting leader and deputy leader. The organization decided on Wednesday at its general meeting for the New Year, held at Pa Fasoranti’s residence in Akure.

The National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, who read the resolutions of the meeting, said that the responsibilities and authorities of the leader and Asiwaju Yoruba are now vested in the council of elders.

Adebanjo was appointed the acting leader in March 2022 to relieve the then-leader, Pa Fasoranti, of the increasing responsibilities of the leadership of the organization.

The crack in the group became clear ahead of the 2023 presidential election when Fasoranti and his loyalists supported President Bola Tinubu while Adebanjo endorsed Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

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Adebanjo has been faced with calls to vacate the seat of the group’s acting leader majorly for opposing Tinubu’s election.

While Fasoranti congratulated the President on his election, Adebanjo didn’t share the same view.

Reacting, a group of youths, under the aegis of Yoruba Afenifere Youths Organisation of Nigeria, on April 4, 2023, passed a vote of no confidence in Adebanjo.

The group advised him to “kindly step down as the acting leader of Afenifere in the interest of the organisation and the entire Yoruba race.”

The group said that Afenifere has been derailing since Adebanjo became the acting leader because he allegedly abandoned the uncompromising pursuit and defence of the interest of the Yoruba people, as evident in his vigorous campaign against Tinubu; a fellow Yoruba man.

Two weeks later, the same youth group stormed the residence of Fasoranti, imploring him to order Adebanjo to vacate the seat of Afenifere’s acting leader.