The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Aare Gani Adams, said yesterday that he does not have a reason to reconcile with former President Olusegun Obasanjo noting that his guardian angel will not forgive him if he reconciles with the former president.
Aare Adams, who spoke at a press conference at his Omole residence in Lagos, berated the former president for casting aspersion on his character.
It was recently reported that the former president and the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland had reconciled their 15-year-old feud at Pa Ayo Adebanjo’s residence in Lagos.
But Obasanjo dismissed the reconciliation saying he did not fight to warrant reconciliation with Adams.
According to Obasanjo, “It is true that I paid a personal visit to Chief Ayo Adebanjo at his residence in Lekki Phase 1 on December 2, 2020 and I met Gani Adams there.
“I have no quarrel with Gani Adams, but for his past way of life which was not in accord with my standards and principles. I have in the past, both in government and out of government, refused to grant Gani’s request to visit me.”
However, reacting to Obasanjo’s remarks, Aare Adams said he needed to respond to the former president.
He said: “Well, I think Baba Obasanjo has the right to say there was no reconciliation on that day but the only thing I don’t like in his statement is him condemning my character. I don’t know what he (Obasanjo) meant about my character but all I know is that we don’t share the same character.
“I know Obasanjo is not a progressive element whether when he was in office or outside the office.
“We cannot share the same character because I cannot toe the same line with someone whom we don’t share the same character.
“On whether I requested for a visit, I didn’t make such a request to his house. I have never requested to meet Obasanjo. The meeting that was held was as a result of the request of Pa Ayo Adebanjo. I initially refused but because of my respect for Pa Adebanjo, I went for the meeting and we had a robust discussion but I was shocked when he (Obasanjo) issued such a statement.
“Ordinarily, I would not have reacted to it but president Obasanjo is an international figure and for him to talk about my character in a negative way, if I do not react, it may affect my family and me; and the only thing I have in life is my name. I do not toy with anyone that will assassinate my character.
“So, I may agree with him that we don’t share the same character as a progressive but he is not a progressive.
“I didn’t request to meet with him and the meeting we had in Pa Adebanjo’s house in Lekki was as a result of persuasion from Afenifere and Yoruba leaders.
When asked whether he foresees any form of reconciliation shortly, he said: “That has been foreclosed, I will never go to him for any reconciliation because if he had not remarked about my character, I would have honoured his invitation. His (Obasanjo’s) press secretary called me the next day and asked whether when I would be coming over to see Baba (Obasanjo), I told him to forget it. If I go to him (Obasanjo) for any meeting, my guiding angel will be annoyed with me.”
Besides, Adams expressed worry over the state of insecurity in the country saying the “only way to address the state of insecurity is for us to restructure the country.
“When we restructure our security, we can have four levels of police. We can have the federal, regional, state, and local government police. There is no way we can continue with one structure of police.”
