Afenifere’s support for Jonathan in Yorubas’ interest —Okurounmu

ormer Secretary-General of Afenifere and Chairman of the defunct Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference, Senator Femi Okurounmu, in this interview with LEKE BAIYEWU, explains why some Yoruba leaders are rooting for President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections

Why did some Yoruba leaders under the umbrella of Afenifere and South-West delegates to the 2014 national confab endorse President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term?

I am proud to say that we are the most consistent and credible leaders of the Yoruba people because we have been leading them for the last three decades or more and we have never led them astray. We led them through the struggle against the military; through the National Democratic Coalition period. Even when most Yorubas went with (the then military ruler, General Sani) Abacha, the Afenifere was the single group that said ‘No, we are not going with Abacha.’ And we refused to participate in (any of) the five pro-Abacha political parties and stuck to our guns that we were opposed to Abacha’s rule, particularly from the annulment of (Chief MKO) Abiola’s election (of June 12, 1993). We have never disappointed the Yoruba; we have always led them correctly.

This time, some people want to mislead the Yoruba and we think it is our duty as the constant credible champions of Yorubas’ interests to let the Yoruba know where their true interests are, and not allow themselves to be misled by propaganda. Some people have a lot of money which they are using to mount a lot of propaganda. They have used this money to acquire a lot of control of the media to promote the particular interest of an individual. And that individual is (former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola) Tinubu, who I had said on previous occasions that he is just a rebel against the Yoruba leadership because he wants to promote his personal interests. That is why we have now come up to say we should let the Yoruba know where their true interests lie.

What are these true interests?

One, their true interest lies in supporting Jonathan for a second term – for two reasons. The most important and immediate reason is that for more than three decades, Yoruba people have championed the cause of restructuring Nigeria so that each of the regions or zones can develop at its own pace without being hampered by whatever is happening in another region. We have championed the cause of true federalism and that is what true federalism is.

This is why we made so much progress during the First Republic under Chief (Obafemi) Awolowo, because we were free to develop at our own pace. All of us had championed this cause together for more than three decades. But all of a sudden because of somebody’s personal interests — when we finally found somebody who called a National Conference we had been demanding so that all of us could get together and restructure Nigeria – they decided to oppose it, even though that same individual had been the one funding crusades for the agitation against the confab. He was one of the promoters of the Pro-National Conference which he also sponsored. All of a sudden, for his personal interests, when President Jonathan decided to convoke the conference, he decided to oppose it – himself and his party. Definitely, Tinubu’s position (on the confab) is not in Yoruba’s interest. The position that we have been articulating for more than three decades together is the proper Yoruba interest.

How successful was the Yoruba’s outing at the confab?

We went to the National Conference and we were able to succeed. We succeeded in achieving most of the Yoruba objectives that we articulated. At least, we got 80 per cent of them.

It is important to note that not only was Tinubu opposed to it (confab), his allies in the North – the core Fulani North – were opposed to it. Even at the conference, all the delegates from the core Fulani North were opposed to most of these reforms and most of the constitutional changes that we tried to articulate, which we succeeded in getting with the cooperation of other Nigerians, especially from the minority areas in the North and the South – because the northern minorities also went with us.

All these were to properly restructure Nigeria and make everybody equal; in which there would be no ‘super Nigerian’ and ‘subordinate Nigerian’; in which there would be no master and there would be no slave; in which there would be no ruling class and follower class; in which some people would not consider themselves to be ‘born to rule’, with the feeling that they must rule forever. We were able to get all these things done at the confab. The Fulani North are the beneficiaries of the status quo – they benefit from the present constitution. The present constitution, as it is, was designed by a succession of military rulers who were from their (northern) area and who crafted that constitution to favour that area. They don’t want any change from it. These are the people allying with Tinubu to stay on the other side; to say that they want change. I don’t know what change they want.

Critics of Yoruba leaders on their endorsement of Jonathan with the belief that the President would implement the confab report have argued that if Jonathan denied the one-term pact he allegedly signed with some northern governors, he could also deny promising the leaders to implement the report. Do you agree?

It is the habit of the core Fulani North to be telling such lies. In 2003 when (ex-President Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to contest for a second term, did they not come up with the same charge that Obasanjo had signed a one-term agreement? Obasanjo vociferously denied it; that even if he signed such agreement, it was not known to Nigeria. A private agreement between two people cannot be binding on all of us – the Nigerians. We defended Obasanjo when they made the allegation. If they are now making the same allegation against Jonathan, it is not new. They made the same allegation against Obasanjo. We all know that is their trade because they don’t want any other part of the country to have the power. They think the power must always remain with them.

When Obasanjo got into power, they felt they conceded it to him. They believe the power is theirs. They think they are conceding the power to whoever is there. They believe it is their presidency; that they concede it to others and they have conceded it enough.

If you look at all the years after Nigeria got independence – about 55 years now – they had the presidency for about 38 years, leaving just 17 years to the South. Thanks to Obasanjo’s 11 years – eight years as civilian and three years as military. If not for Obasanjo’s 11 years, the presidency would have been in the North all the time.

Is Afenifere’s endorsement of Jonathan a way of getting back at Tinubu and the northerners through General Muhammadu Buhari?

When you are trying to fight for your right, you are not getting back at anybody. You are fighting for what is due to you. We don’t want to continue to be second-class Nigerians. We don’t want to be in the slave class. They (North) say it throughout the world that they are the ruling class. In fact, their leaders don’t make it a secret. When Obasanjo was in power, they said it was due to their concession; that they gave it to him because they wanted to appease us (the Yoruba) because of the annulment of (MKO) Abiola’s election (on June 12, 1993); that it was out of their generosity they allowed him; that it was they who chose him (Obasanjo). In fact they chose him.

It is not a move to get back at anybody but Tinubu is misleading Nigerians. He is trying to lead Yorubaland into eternal servitude. When a person is trying for his personal interest to lead his people into slavery, the reasonable among them must call the people and warn them. The same way Afonja led the Yoruba permanently under Fulani subjugation in Ilorin (Kwara State). Ilorin was a Yoruba city – a part of the Oyo Empire. It was one of the generals of the empire, Afonja, who for his personal interest, gave away the right to the Fulani. Today, you have a Fulani emir in Ilorin. A similar thing is about to happen. Tinubu is leading us into eternal servitude under these people.

There is an argument that if the Yoruba feel they have been marginalised in the scheme of things under the incumbent President, they should approach the forthcoming polls to make changes rather than beg for their rights. Why is this not possible?

We are not begging for what rightly belongs to us. Who are we begging? When we restructure Nigeria, everybody will get what rightly belongs to him; every section of Nigeria will get what rightly belongs to it. Nobody is begging anybody. That was why all of us – almost 500 delegates — sat down at the conference and agreed on the way to a better Nigeria, where all of us will feel as equals. Is that begging?

But there is lamentation over marginalisation of the Yoruba in the distribution of political appointments.

Jonathan has done quite a lot. Those who are claiming that Jonathan marginalised the Yoruba were the ones who marginalised the people.

But the Yoruba Unity Forum also raised the issue.

I was one of those championing the cause of Yoruba marginalisation. We had to, regardless of who caused it. We must cry out when we are marginalised. We know who caused it. Only a little percentage can be put on Jonathan’s head. Eighty per cent of the blame over Yoruba marginalisation must be put on Tinubu. The post of Speaker (of the House of Representatives) was given to the Yoruba and who turned it down? Who sold it away? It was given to Tambuwal for personal interests. If you are not there at the source of sharing, you are bound to be marginalised. Tinubu deprived us the opportunity to be at the source of sharing, by the post of the Speaker that was given away. Since then, Jonathan has tried to make amends in many ways. There are appointments that are not so visible.

Copyright PUNCH.