Afenifere Endorses Goodluck For 2015

After what had appeared as a group's indecision, Afenifere,  the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural body, on Tuesday endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for the February 14 election.

The endorsement was the outcome of the meeting the president had with the leaders of the group in Akure, Ondo State.

The meeting was held at the residence of the Leader of the group, Chief Reuben Fasoranti and attended by leaders from the South West geoplitical zone of the country.

At the end of the meeting which lasted about one hour, the publicity secretary of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin said the decision of the group was due to the commitment of the president to the National Conference.

He said  Afenifere believed that the confab is the only thing that can liberate the nation.

He said the president had expressed his commitment to implement the report of the confab report.

Odumakin said the president informed them at the meeting that Yoruba were the ones that were in the forefront of the clamour for the confab.

Also speaking, Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko said what Afenifere did was an unequivocal endorsement of the president.

Mimiko said Afenifere expressed belief in the transformation agenda of the president describing it as systematic and strategic for the development of the nation.

The group, which had fraternised with the Jonathan administration, had before now prevaricated on a full support scale to the Jonathan re-election bid.

But in his response, a former governor of Anambra State and Deputy Director General of South in the PDP campaign organisation, Mr Peter Obi said he was not surprised at the Afenifere endorsement, stressing that, "Afenifere has always committed itself to the best interest and unity of Nigeria", adding that the endorsement meant that, "Nigeria will endorse Jonathan".