According to Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the head of the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organization Afenifere, Bola Tinubu's assertion that he is a "Emi lokan" is the result of an agreement between Tinubu and President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
Following his June 2022 address in Abeokuta, Ogun State where he pushed for the APC presidential ticket, Tinubu popularized the Yoruba expression "Emi lokan," which means "it is my turn."
However, Adebanjo claimed in a speech to Labour Party supporters in Lagos during the party's final presidential campaign that the expression did not refer to the Yoruba people rather it was an understanding that Tinubu will succeed Buhari after he leaves office.
"The one who said 'it is my turn' is his agreement with Buhari," the 94-year-old elder statesman remarked.
"Emilokan didn't claim that the Yoruba were in charge. In their accord, Emilokan promised to succeed Buhari when the latter leaves power. He asked the throng, "Were you there when he said that? ", to which they replied, "No."
Adebanjo emphasized once more that people should "forget about Nigeria" if the LP candidate loses the election.
I had maintained that Nigeria should be forgotten if Obi is not elected president. Elders in the north now claim that I want to impose Obi on them. No! We refused to allow them to impose a northerner on us.
After former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Adebanjo is the second Yoruba elder leader to criticize the phrase.
Last week, the wise man outlined why Obi ought to be elected president in 2023.
If the LP candidate loses, according to Adebanjo, there won't be another chance for a non-Christian or non-northerner to be president. Adebanjo has been a steadfast backer of Obi.
At the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum in Abuja, Adebanjo expressed his opinion by stating, "They are making all sorts of gadgets to ensure that power remains in a specific section of the country. They don't even support the candidate from their own party because of this.
"We'll do whatever it takes. Either it bends or it breaks. Nigeria should be forgotten if Obi loses.
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