The pan‑Yoruba socio‑political organisation Afenifere has formally endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term, urging Nigerians to support his re‑election bid in the 2027 presidential poll.
The endorsement was contained in a seven‑point communiqué issued at the end of the Afenifere Caucus meeting held at the Akure residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti. The communiqué was made available to journalists by the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jare Ajayi. The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the Afenifere Executive Committee, Oba Olu Falae.
Representatives from Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Kogi, Osun and Ondo states attended. Notable participants included former Afenifere secretary‑general Basorun Seinde Arogbofa, former Ondo governor Dr. Segun Mimiko and former Osun deputy governor Senator Iyiola Omisore.
Afenifere said its decision followed a review of the Tinubu administration and the current political situation, adding that the President is committed to restructuring Nigeria, strengthening the economy, deepening democracy and tackling insecurity.
The group expressed “grave concern” about reported threats by bandits and terrorists to disrupt the forthcoming elections and warned that Nigeria’s democratic process must not be derailed. It called on the Federal Government and security agencies to undertake immediate and aggressive operations to flush criminal elements from forests and borderlands — citing Oyo State and other parts of the country — and to investigate alleged collaborators and sponsors of illegal mining.
Afenifere condemned the September 13 attack on a joint security base of the Oyo State Government (Operation Burst) along the Igbeti‑Igboho Road, and similar assaults in the Middle Belt and North‑East. Following that attack, Oyo State announced the arrest of five suspects and the deployment of 120 soldiers to pursue the attackers.
The organisation urged politicians and stakeholders to ensure peace before, during and after the polls, insisting that electioneering be free of violence, thuggery and character assassination. It also called on the Federal Government to support state governments that have enacted anti‑open grazing laws, enabling them to enforce the regulations without delay.
In a separate development referenced in the communiqué, Afenifere noted that its then secretary‑general, Sola Ebiseni, had publicly declared support for Tinubu’s re‑election and resigned his membership of the Labour Party.
The meeting additionally renewed Afenifere’s commitment to promoting the Yoruba language, announcing plans to establish a Yoruba Language Renaissance Trust Fund and roll out programmes to strengthen verbal and literary use of the language.
