14th February, 2022
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has finally shown where he belongs in the emerging political equation: He is no longer with his once-upon-a-time mentor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He has turned a full political renegade.
In Osun, where Aregbesola has shown his political colour, he is not supporting Governor Gboyega Oyetola, Tinubu’s nephew, in the forthcoming All Progressives governorship primary.
Instead, he has declared support for former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti.
The former governor of Osun State, claimed Oyetola’s administration has deviated from the true tenets of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Aregbesola disclosed this on Monday in Ijebu Ijesa while addressing party faithful and stakeholders in the state ahead of the party’s primaries.
The APC primary is scheduled for Saturday, February 19, 2022.
He urged party faithful and stakeholders not to be disturbed but work in unison for the success of Adeoti in Saturday’s governorship primaries of the APC.
“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 fiddle in the party we worked and laboured for.
Aregbesola said the party is back in the hands of true progressives who will work assiduously to win in the July 16 governorship election in the state.
He stated that those at the helm of affairs have also jettisoned true democracy and the principles which the party and its heroes stand for.
The former governor also noted that the Rasaq Salinsile-led party executives are the authentic APC in Osun.
“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.
“They know what they have done to us is bad and they want to continue the impunity. We will not accept it.”
Aregbesola served as commissioner for works from 1999-2006 in Tinubu years in Lagos.
Thereafter, he went to his home state of Osun to contest for the governorship election. He was declared a loser to Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola of the PDP.
Through Tinubu’s help and the battery of senior lawyers hired to proof the election was rigged, the appeal court nullified Oyinlola’s election on 26 November 2010.
Aregbesola was sworn in a day after and governed Osun in the next eight years.