The Secretary-General of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Chief Olusola Ebiseeni, has rejected the announcement of Oba Olu Falae as leader of the group by a faction loyal to Pa Reuben Fasoranti, insisting that Oba Oladipo Olaitan remains the legitimate leader.

A faction of the group had earlier announced the appointment of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Oba Olu Falae, as Chairman of Afenifere’s National Executive Council (NEC).

However, Ebiseeni, while speaking with journalists in Akure, the Ondo State capital, after returning from Abuja, insisted that the late leader of the group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, had designated Oba Olaitan as his successor.

Ebiseeni noted that Oba Olaitan, a traditional ruler from Osun State, had been appointed by Pa Fasoranti as deputy to Adebanjo before the latter’s recent passing.

“Oba Oladipo Olaitan naturally stepped in as the leader and chairman of the three organs of the National Executive Committee, National Caucus, and the General Meeting. All meetings have since moved to his place in Ilesa,” Ebiseeni stated.

He added that Oba Olaitan’s emergence has addressed longstanding concerns about the leadership being concentrated in the Lagos/Ogun and Ondo/Ekiti axis, which had seen leaders from Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1951 to Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Abraham Adesanya, Reuben Fasoranti, and Ayo Adebanjo.

“Leadership has now moved to the Oyo/Osun axis as envisioned by Pa Fasoranti,” he added.

On reconciliation within the organisation, Ebiseeni emphasized Afenifere’s enduring ideological foundation.

“Afenifere is a welfarist socio-political organisation whose ideological stance has remained consistent since 1951 with clear positions on national issues,” he said.

He noted that internal disagreements, often based on ideological convictions, have always been part of the organisation’s evolution—from the Action Group era to UPN, SDP/NADECO, AD, and beyond.

“The current disagreement is not so deep. It is between strict adherence to Awolowo’s political worldview and a recent drift towards a more general Yoruba socio-cultural identity. No viable organisation today is immune to internal tensions. The new leader has the capacity to navigate these challenges and foster unity,” he concluded.