Afenifere factional leader warns members against campaigning for leadership

By Boye Oyeyemi

A factional leader of Afenifere, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, has cautioned members against campaigning for leadership positions in the pan-Yoruba organisation, insisting that its established traditions should guide the succession process.

Olaitan spoke on Sunday during a condolence visit to the family of the late Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, Ondo State.

He said the organisation’s leadership succession should be determined by tradition rather than personal ambition, arguing that the deputy leader should naturally succeed the leader when the position becomes vacant.

“You don’t vie for it. You don’t campaign for it. It’s an apostolic selection. If you are the deputy, naturally, if the leader goes, you go,” he said.

Olaitan, who said he had spent about 47 years in Afenifere, expressed confidence that the organisation would overcome its internal challenges. However, he warned that greed and personal interests could undermine its unity and weaken its values.

He recalled serving as national financial secretary under Fasoranti and deputy leader under the late Chief Ayo Adebanjo. According to him, his decades of involvement in the organisation had given him a deep understanding of its history, traditions and principles.

The Afenifere chieftain also warned against exploiting poverty for personal or political gain, saying such practices could erode the values and identity of the Yoruba people.

Paying tribute to Fasoranti, Olaitan described the late elder statesman as a disciplined, fair and humble leader who earned respect through his conduct and personal example rather than intimidation.