The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has explained that its disagreement with the late spokesman of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, was not personal but based on principle.
The ACF, in a condolence letter to the Afenefere, issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, observed that while the late spokesman was alive, he held strongly to the views of his association.
The forum said it hoped that late Yinka Odumakin would have lived long enough to work for his people and see a new day before death robbed them of him.
According to ACF, “We often disagreed with him on many issues. Our disagreements were however on principle and not personal.
The group, however, noted that the fundamental difference is that the Afenefere group admits only descendants of Oduduwa as members, while the ACF admit even descendants of Oduduwa who are northerners.
ACF stated that its nature of membership, accommodate hundreds of ethnic groups, stressing that it made it very difficult to always agree with a group whose membership is limited to one ethnic group.
The group opined that they continued to hope that the Afenifere would one day turn a new leaf and see issues not from the narrow and limited perspective of one ethnic group but from the broad perspective of a multi-ethnic federal republic.
ACF believed, “We had hoped that Odumakin will live long enough to work for and see the new day.
“His death today has robbed us of that opportunity.
“We however pray for the condolence of his family and his colleagues in Afenefere. We shall certainly miss him.”
