This was coming barely a day after Ayo Adebanjo, the head of the Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere, stated why his group was supporting Obi's candidacy.
Festus Keyamo, a spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, has subtly warned Peter Obi, the Labour Party's presidential candidate (LP) not to rely on the endorsement by South-West socio-cultural group, Afenifere.
This was coming barely a day after Ayo Adebanjo, the head of the Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere, stated why his group was supporting Obi's candidacy.
“The south-west, as I have pointed out, has produced a president and currently sits as VP; the south-south has spent a total of 6 years in the presidency, but the Igbo people of the south-east have never tasted presidency in Nigeria, and now that the power is due back in the south, equity demands that it be ceded to the Igbo,” Adebanjo had said in a statement
“We cannot continue to demand that the Igbo people remain in Nigeria, while we at the same time continue to be brutally marginalised and exclude them from the power dynamics.”
Reacting, Keyamo said in a tweet on Tuesday that the presidential candidates Afenifere backed in 2015 and 2019 could not win at the polls, insinuating that the group's support to Obi will not benefit him at the 2023 general election.
“Propelled by a long-held animosity against Tinubu, in 2015, the Pa Ayo Adebanjo Afenifere endorsed Jonathan for President – vanguardngr.com/2015/01/afenif
“Congrats, Peter Obi on this endorsement.”
Propelled by a long-held animosity against @officialABAT, in 2015, the Pa Ayo Adebanjo Afenifere endorsed Jonathan for President 👉 https://t.co/06zqZ8sRmW. In 2019, they endorsed Atiku👉 https://t.co/5x6kFNOLKo. In both cases, they failed. Congrats, Peter Obi on this endorsement
— Festus Keyamo, SAN (@fkeyamo) September 26, 2022