Sir Olaniwun Ajayi a politician of the first republic and a chieftain of the Afenifere and a participant in the just concluded national conference, in an interview with the #Tribune spoke about his frustrations with #Nigeria, especially the Yoruba nation.
"I have been in politics since 1952. I started with the Action Group (AG). All the ideals and principles that we espoused in the AG and carried to UPN, a successor political party, are still with me. I am still with the political principles which Awolowo and others established in their days.
He recalled memories of the Action Group with some nostalgia, saying it was a party with a lot of fairness, where things were done correctly and Yoruba mores, laws, practices and customs were adhered to.
"We had the Alliance for Democracy (AD). It was a very good political party. We conducted election without any money as a party. It was the period of transition. General Abdulsalami Abubakar was just trying to hand over power to civilians.
"We ran for elective offices: local government, state governorship, and House of Representatives. We won all. We were not very keen for the presidential race then. It was rigged for the Northerners as always.
"We controlled all the six states’ Houses of Assembly in the South West. We went round and got the houses to pass a motion for a national conference.
Recounting the story of late Alhaji Ganiyu Daudu, who was the party chairman in Lagos state and built the Lagos City hall, Olaniwun said then governor, Ahmed Tinubu removed him because he wanted to rubbish the Action Group.
"We begged Tinubu to leave Ganiyu Daudu alone. That was not our practice. I left my house on three occasions to Lagos to beg Tinubu to leave Ganiyu alone. But he refused.
"The governors in their act were aided by our deputy leader, Bola Ige. Bola Ige contested nomination with Falae. The party chose Falae rather than him. Bola Ige then blamed the leadership for not nominating him. He began to quarrel with us.
"So when the governors began to rubbish us, he supported them. Bola Ige told his friend, Ayo Fasanmi who was the party’s deputy leader for the South-West and a close friend of Ige that he (Bola Ige) would destroy the Alliance for Democracy and inherit any remnant that would be left. Fasanmi told us. He is still alive. But has Bola Ige inherited the AD and Afenifere?" he queried.
Also speaking about the recently concluded National Conference, he said it was very tenuous, very tenuous for delegates to ensure Nigeria's unity.
click here to read full interview
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