I disagree with ‘son’ Tinubu on national, political issues – Adebanjo

Pa Ayo Adebanjo, a leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is his son and not his enemy, stating that their only disagreement is on political matters.

He also praised the president as a kind young man who has always granted him any favour he has requested from him, and said that the only issue that separates them is the national question.

Adebanjo made these remarks on Tuesday 21 November 2023 at the public presentation of “Brutally Frank”, the autobiography of Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, a nationalist, activist and prominent politician. The event took place at MUSON Centre Onikan, Lagos.

“Anybody should be concerned about the unity of this country, about the progress of this country. Don’t tell me about any economic programme. Until you change this constitution, you go nowhere And I urge you, I beseech you anybody who is a nationalist, who loves this country today, particularly Bola Tinubu,” he said.

“I’m happy Professor Bolaji Akinyemi is here. You are his friend (referring to President Tinubu). I’m not his enemy. He is my son. The only difference is that we disagree politically. He is a kind young man I have never asked for a favour that he has not given me. But the issue is, the question of Nigeria to be together.”

Adebanjo, who spoke with conviction, said the best thing that ever happened to Nigeria was the 2014 National Conference that was organized by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

He said that Nigerians must go back to the Confab and implement it, otherwise the country will not find any solutions to its economic problems. He also said that President Jonathan, for organizing the 2014 National Conference, would go down in history as the best president Nigeria ever had.

“Those of you who are younger , who are likely to implement what Nigeria should be, don’t play with the 2014 national conference. Whether you like it or not, Jonathan will go down in history as the best, for setting up that conference. And I say publicly again without any fear of contradiction, you can never get the composition of a conference as composed as that conference again in Nigeria. It cuts across everybody in intelligence, the judiciary, the youths, all sorts, no matter. Muslims, Christians, ideologues and all status. And we were lucky to have a Chairman who managed delegates issue and assisted by the professor.

“You can never get anything better. And until you go back to it. The job for us in this country today is to insist that right now this constitution must be changed to federalism in accordance with 2014 National Conference. Don’t waste our money again by setting up any other conference Take that report. Take El Rufai’s report, set up a committee to reconcile and we go where we are going. Any other thing is pretense,” Adebanjo maintained.