President Bola Tinubu has described the late Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, as a political icon whose contributions to justice, democracy, and the nation’s unity will be missed......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
Adebanjo, 96, passed away on Friday at his residence in Lekki, Lagos, said his family.
Tinubu, in a personal statement on Friday, said Nigeria lost a leader whose dedication to truth would leave a lasting mark on the nation’s history.
He acknowledged Adebanjo’s decades-long commitment to democratic ideals and his role in shaping Nigeria’s political landscape.
The president recalled his relationship with Adebanjo and how the late politician supported his governorship bid in Lagos State in 1999 under the Alliance for Democracy.
Tinubu said while their political paths diverged in later years, his respect and admiration for Adebanjo never wavered.
“His principled voice, which resonated through decades of political activism, will be deeply missed. As a nation, we will miss his regular interventions in national affairs, which enriched our political discourse. Though we mourn his departure, we are also grateful to God for blessing him with a long, remarkable, purposeful life—96 years of unrelenting advocacy for progress and equity.
“Baba, as a lawyer, statesman, and politician, stood among the last of a generation of nationalists and independent heroes who shaped the foundation of our country.
“A devoted disciple of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, his contributions spanned political eras, from his role as Organising Secretary of the Action Group in the First Republic to his leadership in the Unity Party of Nigeria during the Second Republic,” he said.
Tinubu added, “In moments of national crisis, Baba’s courage shone brightest. When democracy hung in the balance after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, he joined the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) as one of the leading voices against military dictatorship, helping to galvanise a movement that became the bedrock of our collective struggle to reclaim democratic governance.
“His unwavering commitment to truth and justice extended to my journey as a governorship candidate in 1999. Baba Adebanjo’s steadfast support was instrumental in my election as Governor of Lagos State under the platform of the Alliance for Democracy.”
Meanwhile, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, on Friday said it received the passing of its foremost leader with great shock.
“He lived to the ripe old age of 96, quite all right, but given his contributions to Nigeria, to Yoruba land and of course, to our organisation, Afenifere, he would be greatly missed.
“We value his contributions and we mourn his loss and pray for the repose of his soul. Yes. He will be remembered as an outstanding person.
“He was very patriotic and very committed. Whatever cause Adebanjo believed in, he put all he had into it,” said Jare Ajayi, Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary.
In his condolence message, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, where Adebanjo hailed from, described Adebanjo’s death as the end of a glorious era.
“The government and people of Ogun could not have wished for a more glorious end for the unblemished apostle of federalism, good governance and the defence of Yoruba interests,” the governor stated.
“The late legal and political icon was one of the few Nigerians whose life embodied the story of Nigeria, from the struggle for independence to the post-independence era, straddling military rule and the return to democratic rule.
“To all intents and purposes, Chief Ayo Adebanjo represented the finest of Ogun and Nigeria as a whole, and his ideals will never be forgotten.
“It does not matter where you stand in the political terrain: Adebanjo was a man whose integrity you could not question.
“He lived through the finest and ugliest moments of Nigerian history, was hounded by the establishment for his beliefs, and was even exiled for resisting autocracy and the suppression of the masses.
“He never once hid his identity as a passionate defender of the Yoruba nation and its interests. From his activist beginnings in 1943 as a follower of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe to his activities as a member of the youth wing of the Action Group (AG) in 1951, right into the early 60s.
“This was when Awolowo and his lieutenants stood trial for treason, and right into the heady days of the military and the return to civil rule when he actively engaged governments and participated in constitutional conferences to remake the structure, character, and temper of Nigerian federalism.
“Adebanjo never once refrained from being a voice of courage and a force for good. In particular, his strident advocacy for federalism was unmatched,” Abiodun said, adding, “He will be sorely missed.”
Similarly, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State described the elder statesman’s passing as *the fall of a mighty Iroko tree” in the forest.
He noted that the deceased was a great nationalist, federalist, patriot and true democrat who gave all for Nigeria to be a better country.
He expressed his condolences to the immediate family of the deceased, the Afenifere, the people of Ogun and the entire South-West people.