How President Jonathan bought Afenifere Group over with ‘petty cash’
Old age makes few men wiser, money too. A combination of the two ought to fashion men of finely wrought character but more often than not, money and old age combine to give the elderly indigestion.Such elderly men are well epitomised by the Afenifere group, comprising self-acclaimed Yoruba elders. While the latter grapple and groan under the weight of wisdom that is prerequisite of their old age, President Goodluck Jonathan has worsened their plight by doling out an outrageous N750 million to woo the so-called Yoruba elders and get them to endorse his second term presidential ambition. Predictably, the self-styled elders fell for the lure of Mr. President’s hard currencies thus their endorsement of his second term ambition emboldened by their irrational and desperate greed for gain.
The Afenifere Group’s recent endorsement of President Jonathan manifests interestingly as a slight on the politics and mentality of the nation’s southwest divide and the entire Yoruba nation, going by goings-on in the polity at the moment. It is widely believed that the nation’s southwest region and the majority of the Yoruba race are gladly throwing their weight behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari. As March 28, the newly proposed election date draws nearer with the All Progressive Congress presidential candidate, General Mohammedu Buhari (GMB) having secured the support of the North-East and North-West zones which have the largest concentration of voters, the embattled president wakes up each day drenched in cold sweat, gnawing at his nails in anxiety over his imminent defeat at the upcoming polls. Like a distraught rodent, he scurries from sector to sector, seeking to lure large sections of the electorate to his distressed camp.
Thus his recent largesse to the so-called Yoruba elders manifests like a juicy bone to starving greyhounds – the starving ‘elders’ in turn scurry to grab their shares of the dangled millions mortgaging the survival and well-being of the country in pursuit of their selfish interests.
Major beneficiaries of the largesse comprise traditional rulers, former Finance Minister and presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Chief Olu Falae; Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Lanihun Ajayi and Senator Femi Okurounmu. It is believed that Governor Segun Mimiko of Ondo State and Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin mediated the deal between Jonathan and the desperate, self-styled Yoruba elders. With such staggering sum loot in their purses, it is hardly surprising that the Afenifere Group and cohorts have become the political spokesmen of Mr. President, shamelessly singing his praises to high heavens in the face of his dismal failures.