The national publicity secretary of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba Socio-political organisation, Yinka Odumakin, says his views do not reflect those of the Muhammadu Buhari, leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, as he is no longer his spokesman.
“I ceased being Buhari’s media advisor shortly after the Supreme Court ruled on the 2011 elections which brought us together for a period of about 8 months,” he said.
The statement came in response to one earlier made by the CPC in which it disowned certain comments made by Odumakin, which was erroneously published by the a newspaper as reflecting the views ofBuhari.
“Our attention has been drawn to a Nigerian Pilot newspaper story of Wednesday, July 17, 2013…We are not aware of the mischief embedded in the reporting that was meant to achieve very politically capricious purposes” the party said in the statement.
It added: “Much as the story was embarrassing to our amiable National leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, we wish to disabuse the minds of our friends, teeming supporters and merger partners that this hogwash was a cynical display of un professional journalism.”
Odumakin however said that his views expressed in the said edition of the newspaper were not made on Buhari’s behalf, adding that the disclaimer by the CPC was unnecessary.
“In the said view written under my name as I have done several years now, I stated that the corruption going on in the South West States under ACN is far greater than what we witnessed underPDP,” he said.
Odumakin stated that he had expressed critical views about politics in the South west before in a personal capacity, wondering why his last comment would be seen as Buhari’s.
He buttressed his point by recalling that he dragged the former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao Akala, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in 2010 for asking each local government in the state to award five kilometers of road at N250mto a particular contractor.
“The newspaper quoted me correctly but mistakenly referred to me as “Buhari Spokesman” but never said I spoke for General Buhari. I had expected those who want to provide leadership for the country to read the publication they are reacting to before rushing to the media to “disown” who they don’t own,” Odumakin said.