National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and a former interim national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande are currently working behind the scene to resolve the growing crisis between Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State and his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior.
As the the public denials from both men that there is no crack in their relationship, a credible source, who is also a chieftain of the party confirmed that there is a no love lost relationship between Oyetola and Aregbesola, a development which began before the election that produced Oyetola as governor, Daily Independent reports.
Speaking on the genesis of the rift, he said Aregbesola while shopping for a successor towards the end of his second term never wanted Oyetola, who was then his chief of staff, to succeed him as governor.
“He believed Oyetola will be difficult to control if he succeeds him as governor, so he was looking for a candidate that will be subservient who will be a technocrat while he (Aregbesola) will remain the political leader of the state as it is in Lagos.
“However, when Oyetola, who is Tinubu’s cousin, indicated interest in running, Tinubu mandated Aregbesola and others to work for him. They have no choice than to comply. One, out of respect for Tinubu and two, they lack the financial muscle to bankroll the governorship election, given the financial war chest of the governorship candidate of the PDP, who is from the influential Adeleke dynasty.
“Tinubu preferred Oyetola, not because they are related but because he believe he was one of the engine rooms of the Aregbesola administration. As a person who believes in continuity, he believed Oyetola stands a better chance in continuing with some of the developmental strides initiated by Aregbesola as governor of the state.”
Speaking further, the source said trouble started during the appointment of ministers by President Muhammadu Buhari in August. He said some of Aregbesola’s supporters erroneously believed that Oyetola did everything to stop his nomination, a claim some of the governor’s loyalists denied.
“There were lots of intrigues before Aregbesola was nominated. Even though he was eventually given the slot of Osun State, some of his loyalists claimed that Governor Oyetola worked against it so that Aregbesola will not have much influence in the state. But as a chieftain of the party, I can confirm that is not true.
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“Those who never wanted Aregbesola are those who are opposed to Tinubu and they see him as one of Tinubu’s man Friday. They believe Aregbesola being in the cabinet will further bolster Tinubu’s chances in 2023 so they did everything to stop it but the president didn’t listen to them. I don’t think Oyetola has any hand in it at all”.
He said the final straw was when Oyetola was trying to form his cabinet and Aregbesola allegedly included some politicians who served with him during his eight years as governor.
“Of course, the governor kicked against that, saying there are other loyalists in the party who have sacrificed a lot and are better qualified to be the cabinet. Since Aregbesola dissolved his cabinet and left office as governor, there are some people who are still holding to their official quarters, cars while some are even resuming at offices. The governor stopped all these and you don’t expect those affected to be happy”.
He also alleged that some of the aggrieved persons were planning to boo the governor at the turbanning of Aregbesola as the Amirul Wazirul-Mumin of Osun State league of Imams and Alfas few days ago.
“The plan didn’t work as the occasion coincided with the time the governor travelled to Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj. In fact, some of them are already speaking about giving Oyetola the Ambode treatment.
“What Oyetola’s supporters are against is that Aregbesola should focus on his ministerial assignment and allow Oyetola to govern without any undue interference. They said throughout his eight years as governor, Papa Bisi Akande who was a former governor of the state and the political leader, never interfered in his day-to-day running of the state”.
When asked if the crisis will not escalate to what is happening in Edo State, our source said Tinubu, Akande and other leaders will reconcile both men as they are both members of the same political family.
“There is no cause for alarm. Disagreement in politics is normal. I am sure this will not get out of hand. Asiwaju Tinubu and Papa Akande will resolve it. Both Oyetola and Aregbesola are also members of the same political family and I don’t think Asiwaju will talk to them and they will refuse to listen. The Edo incident won’t happen in Osun”, he said.
