PAN-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation Afenifere has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate for the next month’s presidential election after a meeting with him in the Ondo State capital Akure.

In what the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) will surely claim as a major coup, Afenifere leader Chief Rueben Fasoranti, said that President Jonathan is the right choice to rule the country. He added that the need for continuity with the lofty transformation programmes was the main reason behind the endorsement.

Prominent Yoruba leaders at the meeting included Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State and former Ogun State governor, Chief Gbenga Daniel. At the meeting which took place at Chief Fasoranti’s residence, the Afenifere leader said all Nigerians who appreciate good work must support President Jonathan.

Earlier, Afenifere had called on the people of the Yoruba nation not to vote for any presidential candidate that does not believe in the implementation of the 2014 national conference report. It added that the implementation of the conference report remained the only option upon which proper restructuring of the country could be achieved.

According to Afenifere, the implementation of the report would put an end to most of the challenges being experienced by the country. It urged the Yoruba nation not to be deceived by those who were against the conveyance of the conference and were describing the national conference as a diversionary tactics.

Afenifere spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, said: "As far as Afenifere is concerned, the presidential election is to decide between two options, freedom or slavery. We have elected to choose freedom, freedom from bondage, internal enslavement and internal colonialism that hold most Nigerians down under the bastion of domination and we are convinced that the 2014 national conference report has laid the basis for the proper restructuring of the country.”

He added that the desired change being clamoured for by Nigerians is not just an ordinary change but restructural change. According to Mr Odumakin, change that ignores the restructuring of Nigeria is not a change as most of the issues that are confronting the country like insecurity, corruption have their link with the faulty constitution.

“Afenifere believes that elections are a democratic contest about party programme and not about using terror to frighten them into submission. The use of terror to demand for the mandate of the people must be discouraged not to reward anybody that tries to terrorise them to access power," Mr Odumakin added.

Afenifere also doubted the readiness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) for the election, saying the commission has failed to put all necessary arrangements in place. It added that Inec is yet to distribute 30m permanent voter's cards and the timetable is tight to meet this schedule.

Nigerianwatch