Afenifere chieftain vows not to recognise Buhari as President-elect

The factional Leader of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group,
Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has insisted that he would not recognise President
Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the February 2019 Presidential
Election.

Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Afenifere chieftain

Reacting to a call by the National Democratic Front (NDF) that he be
arrested for treason, Adebanjo said that he stands by his earlier
statement and was ready to be arrested.

Adebanjo had, in an interview, described the 2019 presidential
election ‘as a joke’, saying he could not recognise Buhari, who was
declared winner of the election, as president-elect.

In his reaction, Adebanjo in a statement insisted that he stood by
his comment that he would not recognise President Buhari as the winner
of the election.

He said he would not be surprised if he was arrested as the Buhari
administration was known for its lack of tolerance for the opposition.

“I maintain my stand that until the Supreme Court rules that he is validly elected, I will not recognise him.

“We have evidence that the election was rigged, let the court decide otherwise. That is all I am saying.

“The constitution provides that if you are not satisfied with the
outcome of the election, go to the tribunal and don’t resort to
violence.

“It is only when the court decides that he won, that is when I will recognise him.

“If to them, that is an offence, then I am ready to go to prison. By
my pronouncement, I have not said anything illegal or unconstitutional.

“Right now, Buhari is the president declared by INEC, and not the
person that won the election, and the constitution says if you are not
satisfied by that declaration, go to the tribunal.

“I will only recognise him if the court rules that he is the rightful
winner. That is my position and if it is an offence to follow what the
constitution says, then I am ready to go to prison,” he said.