A group of persons in Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, has emerged with the name the ‘New Afenifere’.
The leaders of the group held a meeting with the presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, on Sunday.
In the meeting, the splinter group endorsed Kwankwaso as its preferred presidential candidate.
The division within the camp of Afenifere has deepened recently after the group purportedly endorsed the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Meanwhile, the acting Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, is backing the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.
The Coordinator of the New Afenifere, Comrade Ajibade Adeyeye, stressed that his group has chosen to identify with the NNPP presidential candidate because of his track record.
“The New Afenifere hereby states that we are concerned socio-political umbrella known as New Afenifere and I dare say we have decided to take our future into our hands to prepare for the upcoming 2023 election. We have called on our elder statesmen not to impose on us anymore but to allow us to choose our preferred presidential candidate because we believe we are old enough to make decisions for ourselves and for our future.
“So, on behalf of the New Afenifere, we have decided to forge ahead and endorse the candidature of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, together with his running mate, Bishop Isaac Idahosa to see toward a new Nigeria.”
Expectedly, Kwankwaso welcomed the endorsement and promised to run an inclusive government, stressing that his party would salvage the country from its current challenges.
Afenifere was formed as a socio-cultural organization for the Yoruba people of Nigeria, with Chief Abraham Adesanya as its leader and Chief Bola Ige as deputy leader.