LEADER of Ilana Omo Oodua, Professor Banji Akintoye, yesterday, declared that the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu’s ambition was premised on “personal interest” and not that of the Yoruba people.
Akintoye, however, vowed not to endorse Tinubu or vote for him during the 2023 election.
This came as the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Southwest Zone, yesterday, said it has not endorsed the Tinubu/Shetima presidential ticket or any other ticket.
Akintoye, in a statement, disassociated himself from an interview he granted two years ago where he had endorsed Tinubu for president, noting that the former Lagos State governor was contesting at the wrong time.
The statement reads: “I have no personal animosity towards any Yoruba person seeking election. But I am sorry for you. You are creating a legacy that your children’s children will be ashamed to know about very soon in the future of the world.
“Our brother, Tinubu, you are fighting for yourself alone when your whole family is perishing. There is fire on our roof as a nation.
“It is unbelievable that any Yoruba man would do to his people what you are doing to our people now. You have been carrying around a video of an interview that I granted Alaroye on the campus of Obafemi Awolowo over two years ago.
“Dear Tinubu, please don’t deceive yourself. You cannot deceive our people. Do you think you can carry that kind of video around and deceive our people? Our people are smarter than that.
“The world is watching you. Our history will judge that at a time when our nation needs to stand up and defend itself, you started to bring up an agenda.
“A personal agenda of your own before them. You are asking us to vote for you. We will not vote for you. Whether it is for the Presidency or the Senate or House of Rep or whatever, we will not vote for you.
“We would have taken our country out of Nigeria by then. So, we advise you now to return to your people. I am advising you now, to return to your people and wash your soul clean. You are doing an unpardonable thing.
“Tinubu, you are destroying the Yoruba future. You are creating a legacy for yourself that your children’s children will be ashamed to know in the future. We ask you to return.
“You can still save yourself now and your future. We are determined to take our country. And I’m standing solidly with the young people who are running around trying to take their country. You might say they are fighting themselves, that’s what young people do everywhere. That does not mean that they don’t want their country, they want their country.”
We’ve not endorsed any presidential candidate — NANS
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Southwest Zone, yesterday, warned against attempts by some people to commercialise student union platforms for selfish reasons.
In a statement by the Zonal Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator and Public Relations Officer, Messrs Adegboye Olatunji, Alao John and Awoyinfa Opeoluwa, the body said the former National President of NANS, Mr Sunday Asefon, acted without the support of the body when he recently said students in the zone had adopted Tinubu/Shetima ticket for support.
The statement reads: “It is, therefore, well within our rights and an imperative task for us to quash any attempt to commercialise or take undue advantage of the collective efforts of thousands of living and late comrades as well as students.
“Therefore, after closely observing the activities of Sunday Adedayo Asefon led Tinubu/Shettima Students Vanguard and being inundated with alarms from our students, we are under great constraint to disassociate ourselves from the said group.”
