Afenifere Faction Slams Ban on ‘Tell Your Papa’ as Blow to Democracy

Afenifere, loyal to late Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has condemned the Federal Government for banning Eedris Abdulkareem’s song “Tell Your Papa.” In a statement signed by Oba Oladipo Olaitan and Justice Faloye, the group called the ban “a direct attack on freedom of speech, one of the tenets of democratic government.”

They described the song as a “fair response” to comments by Seyi Tinubu and criticized the government for being “disconnected from citizens’ realities.” Afenifere warned, “The ban destroys the principles of democracy, it is evidence of the increasing disregard for dissenting voices in Nigeria, potentially silencing artists and stifling creativity and the progress we need to move forward as a society.”

The group also highlighted the toll of insecurity, with 1,420 deaths and 537 kidnappings in early 2025, and urged the government to adopt more effective security measures and embrace true federalism.