Afenifere chieftain and former lawmaker, Senator Femi Okurounmu, has lambasted 93-year-old Senator Ayo Fasanmi, describing him as a stooge of the All Progressives Congress chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Fasanmi had accused Afenifere of supporting Atiku because of money.
In his response, however, Okurounmu said Fasanmi, who was a senator from 1979 to 1984, was originally a respected statesman but had since allowed himself to be compromised by Tinubu and other APC governors who had failed to replicate the legacy of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Okurounmu said Fasanmi was the one who encouraged Tinubu and other rebellious elements in the Alliance for Democracy to disobey Afenifere during the 2004 crisis.
The former lawmaker said rather than play the role of an elder and caution younger politicians, Fasanmi decided to form a renegade group known as Afenifere Renewal Group which had no connection with Awolowo’s philosophy.
He said although Afenifere had made it clear that it would not be supporting President Muhammadu Buhari because of his negative views towards restructuring, the group had not yet endorsed Atiku or any other candidate.
Okurounmu said the APC and Buhari were diametrically opposed to Awolowo’s ideology, especially in areas such as free and quality education and fiscal federalism.
The Afenifere chieftain said during his lifetime, Awolowo stood against Buhari and it would be evil and unjust to use the late sage’s name to promote Buhari’s re-election bid.
He said, “Chief Fasanmi is someone I respect so much but I am disappointed in him today. Firstly, he is not even a member of Afenifere. He left since 2003 when the AD governors rebelled against Chief Abraham Adesanya and tried to make private dealings with Obasanjo when they were seeking a second term and were in turn betrayed by Obasanjo.
“So, Fasanmi cannot claim to be a member of Afenifere. He set up the Afenifere Renewal Group which is opposed to the ideals of Chief Awolowo. We are opposed to Buhari because he has failed Nigeria, especially in the area of restructuring.
“Fasanmi, in his old age, is a stooge of Tinubu. When he should be giving direction to younger men, he is being led by Tinubu and others. He has been their stooge since 2003 and cannot even decide for himself.”
