BEVERLY HILLS, April 11, (THEWILL) – The Pan –Yoruba Group, Oodua People’s Congress, (OPC) has said that it is not in support of those agitating for the creation of Oduduwa Republic out of Nigeria, saying its founder, Late Dr Frederick Fasehun never made such demands while alive.
Speaking in Lagos, the newly elected President of OPC, Otunba Wasiu Afolabi said what Dr Fasehun fought for before his death and which the OPC will continue to pursue is the convening of a Sovereign National Conference to restructure the country from a pseudo federalism that is currently in practice.
Afolabi was elected the OPC President along other executive members including Comrade Adeleke Adebayo, (Vice President), Olubunmi Fasehun, (National Secretary) and Ademola Balogun (Treasurer) among others at a well-attended convention of OPC in Lagos which featured delegates from all over the country.
Afolabi who was Deputy President to Dr Fasehun for over eight years, said; “we undertook several projects, programmes and journeys together with Baba. In his lifetime, Dr Fredrick Fasehun never spoke to us about Yoruba independence from Nigeria, and anyone who tells you Baba ever said so is a liar.
“What Dr Fasehun was concerned about was for Nigeria to hold a Sovereign National Conference (SNC). Baba preached the gospel of restructuring, in which the state or regions would enjoy devolution of power and resource control. He believed that the current 1999 constitution did not give any hope for an equitable, just and progressive Nigeria. But Dr Fasehun never, ever spoke about an Oduduwa Republic”
“Like our great Founder fought for all his lifetime, OPC stands for the convening of a Sovereign National Conference that will give Nigeria a truly Federal Constitution. We need to have a Constitution that will guarantee equity and justice for all parts of the country. Once that happens Yoruba will be content to remain in one Nigeria.
“Going to war will not benefit anybody because the innocent will suffer. Even after the war, we shall still need to return back to the negotiation table for dialogue. Why do we not simply engage in dialogue now before the war?” Afolabi said.
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