The thinly veiled political ‘war’ between national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has become full blown as the Interior Minister has dumped the close relative of Tinubu, his successor, and incumbent governor of Osun State, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.
Ogbeni Aregbesola, according to a statement by Sola Fasure, his Media Adviser, on Monday, February 14, 2022, publicly declared that the former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, will be the next governor of the state, meaning that as far as he is concerned, Oyetola would not have a second term.
As part of the ‘battle,’ between the two titans, the Lagos strong man and Aregbesola, hoodlums, said to have been led by a known political thug allegedly associated with the governor, attempted to assassinate the Minister the same yesterday, as he was driving past with Adeoti in an open roof vehicle in a convoy being cheered by a mammoth crowd. The hoodlums were said to have rained bullets in the general area that sent people scampering for safety.
Security officials were said to have saved the Minister and his entourage from what would have been a tragic outing.
Recently also Ogbeni’s property in the state was attacked in what is generally believed to have been a politically motivated onslaught against the Minister and his supporters in the state from supporters of the incumbent governor and his godfather in Lagos.
A source said the attacks are not only a reaction from a governor whose re-election bid is being seriously threatened but a proxy war being fought on behalf of the Lagos strong man who is said to believe that Aregbesola is not only against the re-election of Oyetola, his preferred candidate, but is not supporting his presidential aspiration enough and may, indeed, be nursing ambition of his own to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
In his statement, Fasure quoted Aregbesola as saying emphatically that the APC in the state “is back in the hands of true progressives who will work assiduously to win in the July 16 governorship election.”
Aregbesola added that the present administration in Osun has deviated from the true tenets of the All Progressives Congress APC, while those at the helms of affairs have also jettisoned true democracy and the principles which the party and its heroes stands for.
He urged party faithfuls and stakeholders not to be disturbed but work in unison for the success of Adeoti in Saturday’s governorship primaries of the APC.
Aregbesola, the immediate past governor of the State of Osun stated these positions in Ijebu Ijesa on Monday while addressing party faithfuls and stakeholders in the state ahead of the party’s primaries.
He also noted that the Rasaq Salinsile led party executives is the authentic APC in Osun.
Aregbesola said: “Anyone who was with us when we started the journey to reclaim Osun for the progressives in 2004 would know we fought very hard for this victory we have today. We went through several challenges then but through thick and thin, we were able to succeed. This time around, we will succeed.
“We are ready to allow a free flow of democratic process to interplay here. We are not those who play God. We are resolute about reclaiming our party from those who think they can continue to abuse our legacies or even want us to be second fiddles in the party we worked and laboured for. This is our pride and we will sustain it.
“Let me tell you that God is with us. I urge all of our supporters to come all out and back us. Do not have any fears. We are the authentic APC in Osun. If in Lagos, the governor did not do well and the party decided not to return him for a second term, why can’t it be so in Osun? They know what they have done to us is bad and they want to continue the impunity. We will not accept it.
“Do not be disturbed by their threats. Come out en-masse and vote for our aspirant. In Shaa Allah, Adeoti is the next governor of Osun. We should all support him.”
In his remarks, the leading governorship aspirant of the APC in Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti expressed his gratitude to the party for the support.
He promised not to disappoint the party and ensure that the legacies of the progressive government from November 27, 2010 to November 27, 2018 is sustained and built on for the progress of the State of Osun.
Also at the event were the Chairman of the Party in the State, Alh. Razaq Salinsile; former Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam; Chairman of The Osun Progressives (TOP), Rev’d Lowo Adebiyi, Ward, Local Government and State Excos who emerged at the last congress of the party, and other party members who came to show solidarity.
