The leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of thriving on deceit, manipulation, and deliberate distortion of truth to sustain its hold on power.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme monitored by Chronicles Reporters on Tuesday, Oba Olaitan said the APC-led government has consistently misled Nigerians through propaganda while failing to provide basic governance, security, and stability.
“Well, APC is good at what they know how to do — deceive people, manipulate people, conceal issues. That’s their job; they know how to do it,” the Afenifere leader declared.
He challenged Nigerians to reflect on their daily realities, particularly the pervasive insecurity and economic hardship confronting the country.
“Do you feel safe where you are now? Going back home after work, do you feel safe? That’s the question,” he asked. “Nigerians, we tell them that they haven’t done anything to us, they’re serving their lives. We must have an agenda.”
In one of his most damning allegations, Oba Olaitan accused elements within the APC — including members of the previous administration — of importing foreign nationals to destabilise Nigeria in their quest for power.
“The last administration before the present government, that is to say, the government they still have there, just because they wanted to rule this nation, they went to the extent of importing foreign nationals — Fulanis, to be precise — to come into the country and destroy the nation,” he alleged.
According to him, the ruling party’s desperation for power has come at the cost of national unity and security.
“If they could not get power, they were prepared to destroy the nation. If anybody has that type of mind, what good can come out of it?” the Afenifere leader asked rhetorically.
Oba Olaitan described the current state of insecurity as a direct consequence of the political and moral failures of Nigeria’s ruling elite. He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and resist attempts by politicians to use ethnic and religious sentiments to divide the country.
Meanwhile, former President Goodluck Jonathan last week shed new light on the Boko Haram insurgency, revealing that the terrorist group once nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in peace talks with his administration.
Jonathan made the disclosure during the public presentation of a book written by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), where he reflected on his administration’s efforts to negotiate peace with the insurgents.
“I felt that Muhammadu Buhari would have negotiated with Boko Haram to stop the killings since the sect once nominated him to represent them during a peace talk with the Federal Government,” Jonathan said.
The former president expressed surprise that, despite this nomination, the insurgency persisted throughout Buhari’s presidency.
“I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there. The issue of Boko Haram is far more complex than it is often presented,” Jonathan noted.
Jonathan explained that his administration had established several committees to explore dialogue with the insurgents.
“One of the committees we set up then — Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government committee,” he recalled.
He described the Boko Haram crisis as a “multi-layered conflict” that cannot be solved through military means alone.
“It’s a bit complex, and not a matter of a single story. But I believe, as a nation, we have to look at the Boko Haram issue differently from the conventional approach. I believe one day we’ll overcome it,” Jonathan said.
He also called for honest documentation of Nigeria’s security history, praising Gen. Irabor for chronicling key events in his new book.
“I always appreciate people who document events clearly. That way, when we write our own accounts, we can borrow from such documentation,” he added.
Jonathan acknowledged that the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls remains a “permanent scar” on his administration, while urging military officers who fought Boko Haram to “tell the truth about what the group truly stood for.”
Afenifere, one of Nigeria’s oldest regional socio-political movements, has consistently criticised the APC’s handling of the economy, security, and governance. The group has accused the ruling party of betraying the hopes of Nigerians and abandoning democratic values.
Oba Olaitan reiterated that the Yoruba nation and other ethnic groups must begin charting a course for true federalism and self-determination, warning that “continued deception and bad governance” would only deepen Nigeria’s instability.
“If we continue on this path, Nigeria will keep bleeding. We must tell ourselves the truth — deceit cannot build a nation,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the All Progressives Congress (APC) had not issued an official response to Oba Olaitan’s allegations.