National Publicity Secretary of pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere Yinka Odumakin, has painted a picture of what led to the ouster of former secretary-general of the group, Ayo Opadokun.
In an exclusive interview with Saturday Independent, Odumakin said he parted ways with Opadokun when he was kicked out of the group over alleged unethical activities in May 2002.
Odumakin also debunked Opadokun’s claim that he brought him (Odumakin) into the group saying he was openly received at a rally in Oworonshoki by Afenifere leaders, led by Ayo Adebanjo.
According to him, “when Tinubu came in as governor in 1999, he took Opadokun, one Engineer Salami, Akinyelure and others into one committee where they would be deciding appointments, contracts. But within a short time, I think he wanted to be feeling too important and Tinubu cut him to size. So they fell out. By the time they fell out, he became so critical of Tinubu in Afenifere and Tinubu himself said that he was looking for ways to get Opadokun out of Afenifere, which was his strength then.
“Some of Tinubu’s associates who were journalists, who were publishing a newsmagazine, started selling a story in Afenifere that Opadokun had gone to collect money from Babangida. That was the time Babangida was trying to run for elections in 2003. They claimed that Opadokun had received N40 million to give Babangida all the information about Yorubaland. Then, I was working directly with him and people started accusing me, that myself and Opadokun had shared the money together.
“These are issues I don’t want to talk about. I am saying this because he has poked his fingers into my mouth. These are things I have kept within me and I have not shared with anybody. At a stage, I remember that Papa Abraham Adesanya called one of the editors of that newsmagazine and I was there, three of us, and Papa said, ‘I want hard evidence on this stories you have published so I can deal with this matter.’
“But when they failed to bring any hard evidence, Papa left it, until sometime in 2002, the Afenifere in Kwara came to officially report him to Afenifere that he was into anti-party activities, that while Afenifere was supporting AD, Opadokun was working hand-in-hand with late Kwara Governor, Mohammed Lawal, in ANPP.
“I remember that a committee was set up under Ganiyu Dawodu. I think Olu Falae was in that committee, and Prince Dayo Adeyeye. He was invited but he refused to attend that panel and, eventually, he was removed as the general secretary of the group,” Odumakin said. (Femi Lawson, Saturday Independent).