Afenifere leadership not won through campaigns – Factional leader

Factional leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, has said leadership succession in the group is guided by its established traditions and selection process, not campaigns or personal ambition.

Olaitan spoke on Saturday during a condolence visit to the family of the late Afenifere National Leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, Ondo State, barely a week after his death.

Fasoranti reportedly died at his residence in Akure on Monday, October 19, 2026, leaving a leadership vacuum in the organisation.

Olaitan, who served as deputy to the late factional leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, had been acting as the factional leader following Adebanjo’s death.

He said leadership positions in Afenifere were not offices members contested through campaigns, stressing that the organisation had a tradition for selecting its leaders.

He said, “You don’t vie for it. You don’t campaign for it. It’s an apostolic selection. If you are the deputy, naturally, if the leader goes, you go.

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“If anybody wants to topple the apple cart, I think the thoroughness that Afenifere is known for will get us through it and any disagreement would be resolved in accordance with the organisation’s established processes.”

Olaitan, who said he had been a member of Afenifere for about 47 years, expressed confidence that the organisation had the institutional depth to overcome any leadership challenge.

He said members understood the group’s traditions and procedures, adding, “Nobody will tell me the story of this organisation. I had a personal relationship with Baba Awolowo, Baba Ajasin, Adesanya and Baba Ayo Adebanjo. So, I’m not a new person.”

Paying tribute to Fasoranti, Olaitan described the late elder statesman as an exceptional individual whose integrity, discipline, humility and commitment to service earned him respect.

He said Fasoranti commanded respect without loudness or intimidation, noting that his character and