Politics

June 12 declaration: Yoruba people are not stupid – Adebanjo

Published

8 years ago

June 10, 2018

Ayo Adebanjo, elder statesman, says declaring June 12 as Democracy Day and the conferment of the GCFR on MKO Abiola, presumed winner of the 1993 election by the federal government will not sway the support of the Yoruba people for Buhari.

Earlier in the week, Buhari declared June 12 as Democracy Day and conferred national honours on MKO Abiola, presumed winner of the 1993 election, Baba Gana Kingibe, his running mate, and Gani Fawehinmi, the late human rights lawyer.

Reacting to the declaration, Adebanjo said restructuring would have been the greatest gifts to Nigerians, adding that Buhari could not claim that he is a democrat if he is not committed to restructuring.

“Do you think Yoruba people are that stupid? We are not that stupid. Quote me, if Buhari thinks he can bamboozle the Yoruba people with that, he has failed. Go and ask Tinubu,” the Afenifere leader said.

Adebanjo said if Buhari was sincere with his intention, he should have made made the declaration when he initially came into office. “I’m saying if he was sincere, he would have done it when he came into office. He is not just coming into government,” he said.

“He came into government three years ago, so why is he doing it now that he wants to contest for second term? And he had always known that it was the wish of the Yoruba people ever since, even before he came into government because when the south-west had an opposition government at the federal level, all the governments in the south-west were declaring June 12 as public holiday.”

“Tinubu himself knows that he has burnt his boat if he continues to support Buhari on the question of restructuring. For anybody to think that he is going to do anything for us in Yorubaland now, he should restructure the country.

“And not that we will continue with a constitution imposed on us and you begin to harass us, keep all the security people in your hand, and use this (June 12 declaration) to bamboozle us and yet, you say you are a democrat.”