9th January, 2024
The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has accused the former Governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola of causing disunity within the party.
Osun APC has therefore instituted a suit against the former Interior Minister at the Federal High Court, sitting in Osogbo for allegedly creating a faction within the party.
The Originating Summons filed by the party’s lawyer, Ayodele Kusamotu, is supported by an affidavit deposed to by an assistant secretary of the Osun APC, Waheed Adeniran. The party in the affidavit urges the court to declare Aregbesola’s formation of a group called Omoluabi Caucus, anti-party act.
Besides Aregbesola, others joined as defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission, a former member of the House of Representatives, Rasheed Afolabi, and Lani Baderinwa, who served in Aregbesola’s cabinet as the Commissioner for Information.
The Osun APC asks the court to grant “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st defendant from attending or recognising or accepting any congress or convention held or to be held by the 2nd -4th defendants and any other persons associating with them in their factional and parallel political group or association for the purpose of inaugurating or constituting the Executive Council or Committee of the plaintiff at any level or nominating candidates for any elective positions under the provisions of the Constitution the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) in the name or on the platform of the plaintiff.”
It seeks “an order prohibiting the illegal factional and parallel association of the 2nd-4th defendants launched as Omoluabi Progressives (APC) in similar or same name of the plaintiff impersonating the plaintiff’s registered logo, symbol and slogan to function as a political group.”
It asks the court to grant it “general damages of N5m jointly or severally against the 2nd-4th defendants in favour of the plaintiff.”