We won’t accept humiliation of Osinbajo, Yoruba leaders warn
I’ve told VP, Tinubu to leave APC—Adebanjo We’re watching events unfold—Akintoye Yoruba’re uncomfortable——YCE VP being undermined, not S/West—Afenifere By Dapo Akinrefon, Dayo Johnson, Ola Ajayi, Rotimi Ojomoyela & Shina Abubakar Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo Yoruba leaders have warned against what they described as the ongoing humiliation of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, saying they would not fold their arms and watch the number-two man degraded by powerful forces.
Yoruba leaders have warned against what they described as the ongoing humiliation of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, saying they would not fold their arms and watch the number-two man degraded by powerful forces
Latching on the dismissal of the Vice President’s aides last week by the Presidency, the leaders drawn from different umbrella groups of the race and other eminent persons of Yoruba extraction said recent developments confirmed that there is a plot to disgrace him. Sunday Vanguard notes that while Osinbajo on the one hand, has not complained about being marginalised in government, the Presidency has repeatedly dismissed reports to that effect.
However, the disengagement of 35 aides of the Vice President from the services of the government was the latest in the series of surprising changes that had taken place in his office at the behest of the Presidency. President Muhammadu Buhari had in September, replaced the Economic Management Team ,EMT, headed by Osinbajo with an Economic Advisory Council ,EAC, under the chairmanship of Prof. Doyin Salami. The Vice President had headed the EMT since 2015. Number-two citizens had been heading the economic team since 1999. That was followed by the removal of the supervision of National Social Investment Programme, NSIP, from the watch of Vice President. The NSIP was moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs-a new ministry created this year. The NSIP is a social scheme which was launched in 2016. However, speaking on the latest development which the Presidency later owned up to, Yoruba leaders said dismissing the aides verified speculations about how poorly the Vice President is being treated lately. A few believed that Osinbajo is not being undermined. Poorly treated Those, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard include Yoruba leader, Prof Banji Akintoye, Pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere; Yoruba Council of Elders, YCE; elder statesman, Chief Olu Falae; Afenifere chieftain, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; Chief Olusola Ebiseni; Chief Biodun Fasae; Southwest Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Paty, PDP, Ayo Fadaka; Sen Francis Fadahunsi, and Comrade Moshood Erubami among others. Speaking on the issue, Akintoye warned that the Yoruba would not allow the Vice President to be degraded or dehumanised. We won’t allow intimidation of Yoruba sons——Akintoye Akintoye said: “There is a problem that we need to acknowledge. The challenge is that not many facts are coming out about what is happening to the Vice President. We hear a lot of bizarre and weird things. “I know that quite a lot of things are happening but we do not have definite information about what is happening. The important thing, however, is those strange things happen to people like Osinbajo and other non-Fulani people serving in this government. One thing though is that we are watching events unfold with keen interest. We are taking note of what is happening to them. “Nobody should make the mistake of thinking that the Yoruba will be watching and allow their sons to be degraded and dehumanised. It will be very difficult to advice Osinbajo because he holds a high position. But my advice to him is to stick in there and let us see what they will do, then, they will see what we will do.” I told Osinbajo, Tinubu to leave APC—Adebanjo On his part, Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo said he does not want to be dragged into the matter, saying the Vice President failed to make his presence felt in the Southwest geopolitical zone. Adebanjo said: “I don’t want to be dragged into the issue. What has he (Osinbajo) done that the Southwest has benefited from? I am 91 years old, all I want is for a better Nigeria. I have told Osinbajo and Tinubu to leave the APC.”
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