At a reconciliatory meeting, which lasted over five hours, the organisation resolved to come together under the leadership of Pa Abraham Adesanya with Chief Ruben Fasoranti as the acting leader.

Mr. Tokunbo Ajasin, son of the former leader of Afenifere; Mr. Tola Mobolurin; and Mr. Tunde Odanye, convened the meeting.

Other decisions reached at the end of the meeting, were:

• Membership of Afenifere shall be determined by the acceptance of its core values;

• Afenifere shall continue to be a socio-political orgsanisation;

• In the spirit of reconciliation, the separate meetings of the factions scheduled to hold in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State and Jibowu, Lagos on Thursday, have been canceled. The leadership is to decide on a fresh date for another meeting of the harmonised house; and

• A committee will be set up, under the leadership of Fasoranti to look at what should be the relationship between Afenifere and any political party in the future.

To serve as members of the committee are: Chief Olu Falae; Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd); Dr. Amos Akingba; Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye; Senator Femi Okurounmu; Mr. Yinka Odumakin; Mr. Niyi Afuye; Dr. Gbola Adetunji; Mr. Adesua; Ajasin; Mobolurin; Odanye; and Mr. Tayo Tiwo.

Messrs Supo Shonibare and Yinka Odumakin who both served as the publicity secretaries of the two factions, said the executives of the two groups would be harmonised at the next meeting of the group, which would hold very soon.

Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy, Chief Bisi Akande described the decision of the Afenifere factions to fuse as a good development for the party and the Yoruba race.

“I would love it if that is what has happened. In the interest of the core value of Afenifere, I would not want a continuation of the discord that has set us apart for this long,’’ he told our correspondent.

The handling of AD’s choice of a presidential flag bearer in 1999 worsened Afenifere’s internal wranglings.

A section of the leaders of AD and Afenifere had supported the late Chief Bola Ige against Falae who eventually got the ticket.

More recently, the emergence of Akande and Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa as factional chairmen of AD further deepened the crisis.

While a group led by Fasoranti supported Akinfenwa, another led by Senator Ayo Fasanmi backed the Akande-led faction.

The Punch, Wednesday, January 26, 2005