The All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has said that Prof. Banji Akintoye does not have the mandate of the Yoruba to speak for them.
Mr Bayo Onanuga, PCC Director, Media, and Publicity, said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja while reacting to separatist comments made by the professor.
Onanuga, while describing the comments as unfortunate and divisive, advised Akintoye to get himself engaged in more useful ventures.
“Our attention has been drawn to an unfortunate and divisive statement credited to Prof. Akintoye, in which his group threatened to pull South-West Nigeria from Nigeria.
“Since there has been no referendum held in Yorubaland about whether to stay in Nigeria or not, we presume that the separatist idea is basically Akintoye’s idea.
“We want to advise him not to plunge our people into crisis or another Rwanda.
“There was nowhere Yoruba people sat in a meeting with a mandate given to Prof. Akintoye and his band of confusionists in his so-called Ilana Yoruba Group to lead Yoruba out of Nigeria,” Onanuga said.
He said that the APC PCC found unwarranted, the professor’s accusation that Asíwájú Bola Tinubu, APC 2023 presidential candidate, was running for the country’s presidency to pursue his personal interest.
He explained that the former two-term Lagos State governor was contesting the country’s presidency because of his readiness to render unflinching service to Nigerians.
He said that Tinubu was in the race because of his abiding faith in a strong, united, and prosperous Nigeria where all men and women could find joy and personal fulfillment, regardless of their ethnicity and religious beliefs.
“Asiwaju is contesting to be president of Nigeria because he is a nationalist, a bridge builder, and a man with a clear vision to make Nigeria work for all Nigerians.
“Tinubu believes in Nigeria and its manifest greatness and he is prepared to provide the leadership required to make our country one of the greatest nations on earth.
“We want to advise Prof. Akintoye to use the remaining part of his life to be at peace with himself and his maker instead of fanning the embers of discord,” Onanuga advised.
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He, however, noted that most of the issues on the structure of the country’s federalism raised in Akintoye’s statement had been sufficiently addressed in Tinubu’s action plan.
This, he said, was with his promise to address some of the problems plaguing our federalism and to make states more viable as federating units by devolving more powers to them.
“Since our nation’s inception, too much power and resources have been lodged at the federal level, this has come at the expense of state and local governance.
This is problematic because state governments are closer to the people and must be more responsive to local needs and aspirations.
“A Tinubu administration will rebalance the responsibilities and authorities of the different tiers of government.
“We will collaborate with the National Assembly and state governments to amend our national governance architecture such that states are afforded the autonomy and resources needed to better serve,” Onanuga said.
He said it was inexplicable that Akintoye, who served as a Senator on the platform of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) between 1979 and 1983, wanted to leave a legacy of hatred, bitterness, intolerance, and acrimony in the country.
Onanuga said at 87 years old, Akintoye should be a voice of reason, wisdom, and stability.
According to Onanuga, Akintoye seems to be using his old age to create discord and enmity within the polity.
“Prof. Akintoye said Asiwaju Tinubu was using his old video for the campaign. This is a lie.
“Asiwaju Tinubu and his campaign organization have never used any video made by the old man to promote his presidential aspiration,” Onanuga said.
Akintoye, a renowned historian is the leader of the Yoruba self-determination movement, Ilana Omo Oodua.