A FORMER Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, has refuted a report that he endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, ahead the 2023 presidential election.
The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, had earlier declared support for the candidacy of Obi as its preferred candidate.
The leader of the group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, at a press conference justified the decision of the group to back the LP presidential candidate as he said the group would not compromise the principle of justice, equity and inclusiveness because the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was a Yoruba man.
However, Chief Falae, a chieftain of Afenifere, in a statement he personally signed, said he already endorsed the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Prince Adewole Adebayo.
“I have said repeatedly that the Social Democratic Party, SDP has the best manifesto of all the political parties in Nigeria. And in the 2023 presidential election, the SDP Candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo is the best choice on the merit. He has a clear grasp of the issues and has offered the most realistic and effective solutions to the problems of Nigeria today. I urge Nigerians to rally behind the SDP and its presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo,” he said.
“The report that I threw my weight behind calls for a South-East presidency or Peter Obi is not true”, Chief Olu Falae has clarified. Chief Falae who is the Deputy National Leader of Afenifere also said that he was not aware that the well-known Yoruba Social cultural group, Afenifere has taken any position to back or support Mr. Peter Obi.
“I did say sometimes ago that the Yoruba, as a people, are not morally obliged to vote for an Igbo presidential candidate or Peter Obi because in 1999, when the rest of Nigeria conceded the presidency to Yoruba because of the MKO Abiola’s issue, it was only the Igbo, who did not accept.”
“I had to defeat Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife in the Alliance for Democracy to become the candidate for the AD/APP Alliance. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had to defeat Dr Alex Ekuweme in the PDP to become a candidate. The Igbo were the only ones that opposed both of us in our respective parties; they did not concede to us along with other Nigerians. However, the Yoruba are fair-minded people and some of them could vote for Peter Obi.”
“I have said times without number that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has the most effective programmes for social justice and Nigeria’s recovery. I have endorsed SDP’s Presidential Candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo and not Perter Obi.”
