Afenifere sacks two principal officers over reactions to Iwuanyanwu comments

Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has removed two of its national officers accused of issuing an “unauthorised statement” against Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

It also suspended their membership of the group.

Afenifere named the two officers as Jare Ajayi, the national publicity secretary, and Abagun Kole Omololu, national organising secretary.

It announced their removal from office in a communiqué issued at the end of its monthly general meeting on Tuesday.

The communiqué was signed by Ayo Adebanjo, Afenifere leader, and Sola Ebiseni, secretary-general.

Iwuanyanwu, chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s council of elders, last week called those destroying Igbo properties in Lagos “political rascals”, adding that thete is no fight between the Igbo and Yoruba people in the country.

His comment elicited harsh reactions as some people claimed that the “political rascals” comment was directed at the Yoruba people.

Reacting to Iwuanyanwu’s comment, Omololu, in a statement released on behalf of Afenifere, condemned the Ohanaeze leader, adding that the Yoruba socio-political group would reach out to Ohanaeze Ndigbo to seek clarification.

But in the communiqué on Tuesday, Afenifere distanced the group from the statement against Iwuanyanwu, adding that analysis of the video taken during the meeting in Anambra showed that the Ohanaeze leader “condemned the shenanigans of some political rascals”.

“We condemn in the strongest terms, the campaigns of calumny and acts of ethnic violence deployed by some politicians and their hired criminal gangs in several parts of the federation during the gubernatorial election, particularly Lagos state where the election was made to appear like an inter-ethnic war between the Yoruba and Igbo which greatly led to voters’ suppression and other forms of deliberate disenfranchisement through brigandage,” the communiqué reads.

“We received a message credited to Chief Emmanuel Iwunayanwun in a viral video alleging indictment of the Yoruba as political rascals on account of ethnic violence deployed by politicians of the ruling party in Lagos State.

“On the analysis of the video and information at the disposal of Afenifere by people at the Anambra State gathering, we are convinced that Chief Iwunayanwun rightly asserted that the Yoruba and Igbo were not at war and truly condemned the shenanigans of some political rascals.

“Flowing from the above, Afenifere state that it never issued any statement and dissociate the organisation from any such statement against Chief Iwunayanwun.

“We observed the uncouth activities and unauthorised statements in its name and the constant denigration of the organisation, by Jare Ajayi, the national publicity secretary, and Abagun Kole Omololu, the national organising secretary.

“After due consideration of the unending embarrassing conduct of the two officers, the meeting resolved that they be and are hereby removed immediately from their respective offices and their membership be suspended sine die pending further decisions after their appearance before and recommendations by the disciplinary committee.”