A faction of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, led by Oba Olaitan Oladapo, alongside some loyalists of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss the state of the nation.
The meeting was held at Obasanjo’s residence within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.
According to Afenifere’s Secretary-General, Sola Ebiseni, the delegation included himself, former presidential adviser Akin Osuntokun, Lagos State Coordinator for the 2023 Peter Obi Campaign Council, John Ughulu, and the council’s Secretary, Folaseye Adebayo.
Speaking to journalists after the closed-door talks, Osuntokun described the session as an honour, noting that they had a “deep conversation” with the former president despite his tight schedule.
He added that the meeting was a consultation with “the indisputable father of the nation, Africa, and a world statesman,” praising Obasanjo’s passion for Nigeria.
Osuntokun stressed that Nigeria belongs to all its citizens and that leadership should reflect fairness, inclusiveness, and justice. He rejected the notion that any region or ethnic group has an exclusive claim to power, calling it unhealthy for national stability and democratic growth.
On the current political climate, particularly the coalition of opposition groups, Ebiseni described it as a welcome move against the risk of a one-party state. However, he emphasised that only a broad-based coalition built around the principle of regional rotation could have meaningful impact.
He noted that the APC itself was born from such a coalition in 2013, aligning with the popular sentiment of rotating the presidency. This, he said, enabled Muhammadu Buhari, from the North, to succeed Goodluck Jonathan from the South.
Ebiseni recalled that Afenifere, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, and Southern governors had been steadfast in insisting that Buhari be succeeded by a Southerner after his eight years in office.
“The fact speaks for itself that there can be no serious argument against completing the South’s eight-year tenure,” he stated.
“It is not about individual political actors or parties. It is about a consensus for regional mutual respect and national political stability.”
