Afenifere Suspends Omisore over Role in Osun Election

James Sowole in Akure

The Pan-Yoruba Socio-political Group, Afenifere yesterday suspended the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, in the last election of Osun State.

Omisore, according to Afenifere, was sanctioned for allegedly violating the directive of the the socio-political group, which affected the outcome of Osun State governorship election.

The suspension of Omosore was contained in the communique issued at the end of the General Assembly of Afenifere held at the Ijapo, Akure residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti.

The SDP candidate was reported to have supported that All Progressives Congress (APC), candidate, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, during the run-off election in Osun State.

But in his swift response to the suspension, Omisore argued that Afenifere by-passed the principle of fair hearing by saying that he acted at variance in his decision to coalesced with All Progressives Congress (APC) at the rerun election.

Omisore noted that SDP passed a resolution to coalesce with APC in Osun, stressing that he acted in consonance with the party’s position.

Omisore added that Osun SDP is not affiliate of Afenifere in any form.

He also stated that he was not given any directives, adding that that it might be oversight on the part of Afenifere.

Afenifere’s communique was read by Chief Korede Duyile, who was the chairman of the communique drafting committee.

Other issues discussed by the Afenifere were President Muhammadu Buhari’s certificate saga, the Nigeria’s debt profile, the state of insecurity and killings in the country, the killing of Shiite members and restructuring.

While reviewing the controversy over the academic qualifications of President Buhari for the office of the President of Nigeria, Afenifere said that the controversy touches at the core of the moral fibre of the country.

In view of the confusion, Afenifere said the onus on Buhari was to produce the document so as to retain his claim of being a man of integrity and being eligible to contest the 2019 elections .

Afenifere also expressed concerns over the spate of general insecurity in the country in spite of security being one of the three cardinal claims of focus by the Buhari administration.

“The country has been troubled by herdsmen terrors in different communities and kidnappings across the country as well as in the abduction and killing of Agom Adara, a pregnant woman in Ondo State, the Zamfara twins Gen. Alkali and with Leah Sharibu still in the custody of Boko Haram, among many others .

“We have also witnessed how Kaduna State whose Governor ,Mallam Nasiru el Rufai once boasted of paying off criminals, has become virtually ungovernable with the recent Kasuwan Magani massacre that led to the deaths of no fewer than 100 persons and the attendant spill over crisis.

“We are worried that there has been no coordinated response on the part of the federal government to these needless loss of precious lives just as it continues to ignore calls for the overhaul of the country ‘s security architecture with a restructured polity to guarantee greater security of lives and property”, Afenifere stated.

The group condemned the extreme and barbaric use of force against members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) in Abuja.

“There can be no justification for the level of blood-letting that has been carried out against the sect whose only crime has been protesting the continued detention of their leader in spite of different court orders to release him from detention .

“The act of disobedience of court orders is totally reprehensible and confirms the statement by the US Ambassador to Nigeria that perversion of institutions ,which abuse of court orders typifies ,is the worst form of corruption.

“We, therefore, called on the federal government to release the leader of the Shiites as ordered by different courts and ensure that the security personnel responsible for the mass killings of his supporters are brought to book.

“We must not forget how extra -judicial killing of the founder of Boko Haram turned the group into a massive terror machine which we have been unable to contain and we are opening yet another front”, the group added