The 91-year-old elder statesman and leader of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has dared the Nigerian Government to arrest him over his statement that he would not recognise President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the 2019 presidential election until proven by the courts.
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.
The National Democratic Front (NDF), had called for the immediate arrest and arraignment of Adebanjo. The group claimed Adebanjo’s comment amounted to treason and utterances capable of plunging the country into another civil war.
In his response on Tuesday, Chief Adebanjo said in a statement that, he stood by his comment that he would not recognise President Buhari as the winner of the election.
He said, “Let them come and arrest me. I am used to that. It is typical of their regime that they don’t tolerate opposition. It is typical of Buhari in particular, he doesn’t tolerate opposition; so it’s nothing new to me.
“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.