The O’odua People’s Congress (OPC) has disassociated itself from a coalition of 57 Yoruba groups that allegedly support the Southwest’s pro-restructuring presidential candidate in 2023.
OPC Publicity Secretary Yinka Oguntimehin in a statement denied Gani Adams was involved in the mega-deal, saying such moves were purely fraudulent and far from the truth.
Oguntimehin urged groups to stop using the OPC name for political insignificance, saying that OPC was not among the 57 Yoruba groups that gathered in Lagos over the weekend to mobilize southwest for the presidency of Bola Tinubu, Yemi Osinbajo or Kayode Fayemi. .
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that OPC was included among those behind the mega agreement of 57 Yoruba civil society groups that recently met in Lagos with the determination to mobilize the Southwest for a pro-restructuring presidential candidate in 2023.
The meeting was reportedly chaired by a journalist, Mr. Adewale Adeoye, while the statement issued at the end of the meeting was signed by Sunday Akinnuoye, Femi Agbana and Ganiat Toriola.
The groups indicated that they were aware of presidential candidates such as Messrs. Fayemi, Osinbajo and Tinubu.
They promised to ensure that the 2023 presidential elections produce a candidate who will restructure the country and resolve the lingering national question regardless of the political platform.
But Oguntimehin said the OPC, under Adams’ leadership, had at no point mobilized the group for any politicians, insisting that the group’s interest lies beyond the 2023 general election.
“Including the OPC name without (a) specific name attached to the alleged arrangement of 57 Southwest groups supporting a Southwest presidential candidate was fraud and illegal because we are not part of a meeting.
“There was no visual or audio content on how, when or where the meeting took place, just so we could see the story in the newspapers.
“We are aware that when the elections approach, some politicians often use the name of the OPC to win favors.
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“There are some groups that are affiliated with political parties that generally make themselves available to politicians in due time,” he said.
According to him, those groups posing as OPC members do not have any programs or activities for which they are known.
“Even if something happens on Yoruba land, their voices are not heard, except occasionally during elections or when they are paid to make statements against us.
“Therefore, I advise whoever is behind the agreement to follow the right path and be specific when attaching the OPC name to any political agreement.
“Any person or group using our name without the proper attachment or specification amounts to fraud and we will handle it in the most conventional manner,” added Mr. Oguntimehin.
(YAYA)