Pa Ayo Adebanjo, factional leader of Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has been accused of seeking his long-lost political relevance at the expense of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) says Pa Adebanjo’s latest outburst on the 2019 Presidential election is in furtherance of this objective.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, BMO wondered why the octogenarian, who does not have a political base, would insinuate that he could be arrested for expressing a political opinioin uncomplimentary to President Buhari.
“In any case, Pa Adebanjo had in recent years shown, by words and deeds, that he should not be taken seriously.
“Here is a man who in his youth learnt at the feet of the late sage Obafemi Awolowo but opted to use his later years to cavort with characters that the great Awo would neither have approved of nor agreed to be photographed with.
“It got so bad that he has since been rejected by the larger Afenifere group which still holds firmly to the time-tested virtues that the group has always been known for.
“But he’s still holding firmly to a lost cause alongside a much younger individual who is a well-known political jobber, “it said.
The pro-Buhari group noted that it was not surprising that a man who has not vied for any elective position in recent memory would express such views about an election that was widely acknowledged as free, fair and credible.
“We urge Nigerians to ignore him absolutely, especially as it is clear that he is desperately looking for relevance.
“We know him as a sympathiser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) masquerading as a leader of thought in the South-West, so we are really not surprised that he has been acting as the party’s repeater station in cahoots with the failed candidate Atiku Abubakar who has since returned to Dubai.
“The factional Afenifere leader claimed that the election was rigged, but the facts on ground show that an overwhelming majority of Nigerians, including those in his polling unit, ward, local government and state opted for the man he loves to hate.
“It should be clear to his paymasters now that he has no political relevance that they can leverage on, but he continues to massage his own ego with tirades against President Buhari.
“For us, his political outburst is akin to a mosquito that lands on an elephant and expects the elephant to notice and congratulate him.
“We join many Nigerians to ask him to check his conscience and reflect on how he departed from the glorious path laid by the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo.”
BMO said the President respects all Nigerians but does not need the validation of a section of the political elite that is used to feeding fat on political patronage at the expense of the generality of the masses.
“Pa Adebanjo and his ilk should wake up and smell the coffee. Or is it that difficult to accept that the silent majority delivered a telling blow to those who considered themselves as the owners of Nigeria on February 23 2019?
“We know that members of this small group that Pa Adebanjo represents have been uncomfortable in many ways, but we just have to keep reminding them, without gloating, that President Buhari was duly elected and would also have his second term mandate reinforced by the Supreme Court in spite of the fake INEC server result that the opposition is relying upon, “it added.