Afenifere Is Yoruba Name For Action Congress – Farotimi Clarifies

Human Rights Lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has disclosed that Afenifere is the Yoruba name for Action Congress, a party founded by late Western region Premier, Obafemi Awolowo.

Naijaonpoint reported that Farotimi, on Thursday, stated that the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization was not formed for the people of the South West but for all Nigerians.

Speaking at the 97th posthumous birthday of the former leader of Afenifere, late Pa Ayo Adebanjo, National Organizing Secretary of Afenifere said the group was founded to save the country from the situations it is currently experiencing.

“It doesn’t matter what part of Nigeria you’re from. Those who fought before me eminently have made clear to you, Afenifere was not founded for the Yorubas. It was founded for Nigerians. It was founded to save us from ourselves. We are asking you that just as we made ourselves available as a platform in 1993, if you look at where we are today, you shouldn’t need us to tell you that there is a critical need to come together again, find common purposes as Nigerians, because that’s where we are today, and then look for a way out of where we are,” he said.

His statement spiked criticisms on social media. In clarification, on his 𝕏 handle, Farotimi explained that it would be wrong to look at Afenifere from the same lens as Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Arewa Peoples Congress.

“You are making false equivalences when you compare Afenifere to either of those. Afenifere is the Yoruba name for the Action Group, the political party that governed the Western Region, and was the official opposition party in both the East and in the Northern regional assemblies as well as the Federal House Of Representatives. Not all Yoruba are members, and it is about ideology, not ethnicity. That it governed the West and did so admirably, is what gave it the wide acceptance in Yorubaland,” he stated.