PHOTO: (L-R:) First son of the late Afenifere leader, Mr. Obafemi Adebanjo; Former President Goodluck Jonathan; Former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma; Daughter of the late Afenifere leader (Pa Ayo Adebanjo), Dr. Folasade Ayo Adebanjo; Former Deputy National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George; Second son, Segun Ayo Adebanjo, during the condolence visit by the former President to the family of the late Afenifere leader at their residence in Lagos on 2/3/2025.
By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has called for a revisit of the 2014 National Conference. He made this statement on Sunday in Lagos when he paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Afenifere leader, Pa Samuel Ayo Adebanjo.
In his speech during the visit, Jonathan said the success of the National Conference was due to the efforts of people like the late Afenifere leader.
He said: “Pa Adebanjo was not just the leader of Afenifere, he was a leader of this country. He was a man of enormous wisdom and courage and had the willingness to do the right things for this country. He believed in truth and justice. No nation can grow when there is no truth and when there is no justice. We are not surprised that he led Afenifere well and stood for those virtues until his death.
“Well, I did not know that the issue of the 2014 National Conference would come up here. Without people like him and the Afenifere leaders here, probably that conference wouldn’t have taken place. Initially, when I came up with the concept of that conference, people thought I was trying to manipulate the system for myself. I am not that kind of person.
“But I said, look, this will be a test for this country. When things are not going well the way you expect, just call the rest and let them form a comprehensive team. Those who attended that conference know that the composition was very, very credible. I gave them total authority to discuss what is good for Nigeria.
*Former President Jonathan signing the condolence register.
“I know at a time the leadership of that conference came to me to say, ‘President, we want to know whether there are some areas you have an interest in.’ I said, look, I can’t even advise you because you are more experienced than I am. More than 50 percent of the members of that conference were even more experienced than I was in terms of running the affairs of this country.
“It was only providence that gave me the privilege to constitute it. So if you people cannot take a decision that will help us in this country, then let’s forget it. And I did not interfere in any way.
“Wherever you go in this country today, people make reference to that conference, and this gives me the impression that there is a need to revisit it. Some people still ask me today why I did not implement the decisions of that conference. But you know that towards the end of that conference, the country experienced political turbulence. The Speaker of the Parliament, who was in my party, mobilized against me and moved to another party, and they were ready to bring the government down by any means. It was, therefore, not a good time to implement those decisions. Even the Senate rose against me. I said, let us wait, hoping that I was going to come back. But we thank God for everything.
“I believe that one day, the government that will review the conference will come because I know the outcome would be for the betterment of this country.”
Jonathan thanked Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for always standing by him and for his acceptance to lead the condolence visit to the late Afenifere leader. Chief George expressed pleasure in the former president asking him to lead his condolence delegation.
He said: “It’s a pleasure for me to be here, in the sense that it feels like a homecoming. I was glad when our former President, His Excellency Dr. Jonathan, called me and said that he was coming and that I should lead his delegation to our late leader, Pa Adebanjo, who adopted me as his political son.”
Chief George extolled Jonathan for his “absolute loyalty to the system and to Nigeria, which led him to constitute the 2014 National Conference.”
In his welcome remarks, the first son, Mr. Obafemi Adebanjo, said the late Afenifere leader held Jonathan in high esteem and spoke highly of him while he was alive. He said one of the things that endeared Jonathan to him was the 2014 National Conference convened by Jonathan, which sought to offer solutions to the myriad problems faced by Nigeria. He also pointed out the peaceful democratic handover of power during the chaotic 2015 general elections, which ensured that the unity and cohesion in the country were sustained.
Others in the entourage of Jonathan included the former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma; Timi Alaibe and Ugocukwu Stanley. The Afenifere family was led by the Acting President, Oba Olaitan; the former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Akerele Bucknor; Dele Farotimi, Organizing Secretary, among others.