A political scientist at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Prof. Sunday Akindele, has advised leaders of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, against being divided over split support for political candidates.

The political scientist gave the advice on Saturday during a phone interview with our correspondent in reaction to the division in the group and the pronouncements and counter-pronouncements coming from Pa Reuben Fasoranti and Pa Ayo Adebanjo.

While the Adebanjo group of Afenifere supported the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and believed he won the February 25 presidential election, the Fasoranti group supported the All Progressives Congress flag bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and stood by Tinubu’s victory as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Akindele said, “In terms of the legitimacy of leadership, I think Pa Fasoranti’s pronouncement is more legitimate and he is more representative of the Yoruba in terms of leadership by Afenifere. Fasoranti knows what the Yoruba people want; he knows what should be the position of Yoruba within the sphere and political landscape of Nigeria.

“Without apportioning blames, we should learn our lesson and stop fanning the embers of discord in terms of the dualistic pronouncements coming from Afenifere.”

Meanwhile, a former National Publicity Secretary of the organisation and former two-term member of the House of Representatives, Babatunde Oduyoye, in a statement issued in Ibadan, called the elder statesmen to resolve the division within the Afenifere leadership.