SEVERAL prominent Yoruba leaders has increased the political temperature in the country significantly by declaring that only a bastard will vote for President Goodluck Jonathan after a recent summit in Ibadan.
At a pan-Yoruba conference, which took place at the historic Parliament Building in Ibadan, professionals, princes, monarchs, governors and former governors, gathered to articulate their aspirations and minimum demands from the federal government as elections loom? Several of them used the event to express their dismay at the actions of several prominent leaders who have endorsed the president after allegedly being paid to do so.
With Nigeria's presidential elections taking place on March 28, President Jonathan has stepped up his campaign across the southwest, wooing monarch, traditional rulers and pressure groups. Several, such as the Oodua People's Congress have come out in favour of President Jonathan, even holding a march in support of his candidacy.
At the Ibadan summit, retired army general, Alani Akinrinade said total support must be given to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari. He and several other delegates openly declared: “It is Buhari or nobody else.”
High Chief Eddy Oyewole, representing the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade, added: “On 28 March, 2015, let us vote for Buhari.” He condemned the candidate of President Jonathan for wasting the country's meagre resources by lavishly bribing various individuals and groups to secure their support.
Senator Anthony Adefuye added: “Only a bastard Yoruba will vote for Jonathan." Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye too said the Yorubas will vote en masse for General Buhari.
Also, Senator Ayo Fasanmi added "At this point, we Yorubas should know where we are going. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is distributing money to earn wrong votes but come May 29, we will be happy when Buhari becomes the president of the nation.
“Why would Jonathan appoint ministers two months to the end of his term if not that they want to use all means to steal what is left in the coffers, that is if anything is left? By God’s grace, I, Senator Ayo Fasanmi will vote for Buhari and on May 29, he will be sworn in as our president.”
Honourable Olawale Oshun, the national chairman of the Afenifere Renewal Group, said that considering the fact that Yoruba people have been suffering marginalisation within Nigerian state for the past 16 years, Yorubas should vote for leaders who have its interests at heart in order to bring an end to this unacceptable state of affairs. Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi who decried the high level of maginalisation of Yoruba in the Jonathan administration said that out of the 50 most powerful men and women in the executive, legislative, judicial and even security components of power in Nigeria, there are only two Yorubas among them.
In the communique issued at the end of the summit, the main grievances of the region included maginalisation, calculated attempts to invade and subjugate Yorubaland, misguiding some elements in the region for their selfish reasons and the decimation of entrepreneurial ambitions of Yoruba people through federal institutions and agencies. It demanded regionalism, diversification of economy, holding free, fair, credible and transparent elections as scheduled to commence on Saturday, March 28, 2015 and the resistance to any form of unelected government.
