By TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Sunday said President Muhammadu Buhari is provoking Nigerians to go to war so as to pave way for him to declare emergency rule in the country and extend his tenure in office beyond May 29, 2023.

Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the acting national leader of the organisation, who spoke exclusively with Daily Independent, also condemned the invasion by the Department of State Services (DSS) on the residence of a prominent Yoruba nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemi, aka Sunday Igboho in the Soka area of Ibadan few days ago.

Describing the attack, which left two of Igboho’s aides dead as a constitutional infringement on his liberty, Adebanjo said Buhari’s belief was that the attack will trigger a response from the South-Westerners who will then attack every Fulani they come across.

“The attack on Igboho is writing a script and I am saying it positively. Buhari wants to cause war. He is provoking the South-West to react, thinking that the moment they have done that to Igboho, the Yorubas will go and start killing all the Fulanis in the South-West.

“If that happens, he will now say law and order has broken down and so, he will declare a state of emergency, prolong his tenure in office and begin to rule militarily. That is my projection with the attitude of Buhari”, he said.

Speaking further, he said the president’s refusal to listen to counsels by various groups across the country is what is fueling most of the unrest.

“By refusing to listen to Southern leaders, Afenifere, PANDEF, Northern Elders Forum and others who are saying let us sit down peacefully and dialogue, it shows he has a sinister motive.

“Instead of listening to voice of reason, he said he will treat people in the language of war. Is that language a fatherly one? How can the president of a country be so aggressive in attending to issues relating to his subjects? Anybody who opposes his aggressive actions, he will accuse them of plotting to break the country. Who is breaking the country other than the president himself who does not talk in a way that can bring people together? He is fooling people, he cannot fool us”.

Adebanjo also said that he warned Nigerians not to vote for Buhari in 2015 despite his claim that he is now a converted democrat. According to him, the president’s utterances and actions since coming to office in 2015 has shown that he does not have respect for the rule of law.

Lamenting the continued incarceration of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky, and others detained unjustly, Adebanjo said Afenifere and other groups in the country will cry to God to deal with Buhari and put an end to the misrule in the country.

“Nigerians should remember, before they voted for this man in 2014, I said don’t vote for this man because he is a feudalist by birth, a dictator by training and a non-conformist by action.

“When he came into office in 2015, he said he is now a born-again democrat. What has he done since then to prove that he is a democrat? He is the number one president in this country who has violated the rule of law with impunity. That is the born-again democrat we have as president.

“El-Zakzaky is still in prison in spite of several pronouncements by local and international courts, the president pretended he doesn’t hear. I can see through Buhari’s attitude provoking every areas to go to war because he has the architecture of security in his hand and he knows that we are powerless.

“That is why he attacked Igboho in that manner thinking that Yorubas will retaliate. We will not do that. We will call on God to deal with Buhari. He is believing in his horses and chariots but we will call on Almighty God to come and help us”.

The Afenifere leader also described Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Buhari as a betrayer of the Yoruba people following his recent statement justifying the actions of his principal.

He said Adesina’s utterances since becoming the president’s media aide is at variance with his views before his appointment while behaving as if the President will remain in power forever. (Daily Independent)

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