RESTRUCTURING: S'West, S'East S'South strategise, North Snubbed
The Yoruba Standpoint, a South West summit on restructuring, held Thursday at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.
The summit had in attendance prominent political, traditional, religious and professional Yoruba leaders. It also had in attendance some representatives from the South-South and South East invited to participate, with the North visibly absent from deliberate exclusion by the organizers.
Some of the foremost participants include, Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi.
Others are, Aare Afe Babalola, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae, Dr. Olu Olajide, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, and Dr Tokunbo Ajasin.
The summit also featured Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Yinka Odumakin, Chief Osinbogun, Otunba Gani Adams, Chief Ade Ojo, Sen Ike Nwachukwu, and Chief John Nwodo.
Curiously, All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors in the region, including the Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, and prominent leaders of Yoruba extraction were missing.
Recall that the summit which was announced on September 3 by the secretary of the planning committee, Yinka Odumakin, had been said to represent a strategic effort towards unifying the zone on the important issue of restructuring regardless of party affiliation.
Odumakin had also stated that the north was not included in its special invitation to non-South West leaders because it had not gotten invitation from the region in the past
He had said that invitation was specifically sent to all Yoruba-speaking areas in the country and other zones like the South East and South-South.
The Afinifere chieftain had revealed that invitations had gone out to the six state governors, National Assembly members, elders, opinion leaders and groups.
He said, “Massive Mobilisation has commenced in Yoruba-speaking areas of Nigeria with our governors, National Assembly members, opinion leaders, various groups, individuals and the rest of them. We have commenced this process to ensure we have an all-inclusive summit where all opinions will be represented and since we are talking about Yoruba affirming its joint position on the most popular issue in Nigeria today, which is restructuring of the polity, the Yoruba summit is across board”.
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