It is 53 years since the July 1966 counter-coup. The issues then are still much with us, what is the reason for this? It is unfortunate that we have refused to learn from history and that is why the issue that caused the counter-coup has continued to repeat itself.
Even the way it was solved after that, they refused to follow it. There is no other issue because whenever we talk, some people do not understand reasons for such statement. It is a question of autonomy for the ethnic groups. You cannot rule a country of this nature under a unitary form of government; that is the basic problem.
The moment you aim to centralize the government of a country so heterogeneous like Nigeria there will be problem. On President Buhari’s 43-man ministerial list I have refused to comment on the ministerial nominees because I do not recognize President Buhari.
Until the Supreme Court delivers judgement on the 2019 election, I am yet to believe that he was elected the President of the country. It will be contradictory on my part to be commenting on what it should be when I do not believe that anyone gave him a mandate.
Those who voted for him can comment because they will have reasons to have voted for him to rule the country. Since I do not believe in his election why should I be commenting on what he does? What actually led to the discord that affected Afenifere in 2003? That is a long story. I do not know which aspect said X or Y caused it.
This is because the division has so many angles. According to former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Afenifere does not have a constitution and succession plans. How true is this? When did he realize that Afenifere does not have a constitution? Was it when he won election with our platform or after he left? Was he in Afenifere before he was elected? Ask him.
When he was elected, was there a constitution then and why was it abandoned? He can say anything because I do not want to go into the arena with him at all. This is because he is so junior to me. I will rather allow Yinka Odumakin and others to be talking to him because people do not know him. He is among Bola Tinubu and others who are latter day Afenifere members.
They rode on the platform of Afenifere. He (Osoba) has been claiming that he had been there before then. Somebody founded Afenifere and where was he when we were there? Those who are at his level will reply him. The way he talks sometimes one feels irritated.