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Osun APC still in disarray
… as Aregbesola, Oyetola in unending battle for supremacy
Olusesan Laoye
Rather than the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State coming together and waxing very strong, ahead of the governorship election, which is still two years ahead, the party is now in total disarray, as the power tussle between the two former governors, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Mr. Gboyega Oyetola has continue to escalate, with no end in sight.
Events in the party, in the last few weeks, have shown that the centre cannot hold within the party, as the loyalists of both camps, are not prepared to come together and it is doubtful, if any tangible reconciliation would ever take place between them.
Although, some of the party members, who still remain neutral, are banking on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s intervention, others believe that the current situation in Nigeria may not give room for him to start wading into the local crisis of the party in Osun state, which still has solid two years to contest another governorship election.
It was further argued that Tinubuis already an interested party in crisis, as Oyetola, who is his cousin, is also a minister, while Aregbesola and his group were ignored.
While Ogbeni Aregbesola was the governor, Alhaji Oyetola was his Chief of Staff, for the eight years which they both governed the state together.
It was, however, trouble started after Oyetola ttook office, and his boss became a minister in Buhari’s government. Oyetola only did four years before the present government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Ademola Adeleke took over.
For almost six years now, the battle of supremacy between Aregbesola and Oyetola has been going on unabated and this was caused due to the glaring maginalisation of the Aregbesola’s group during the four years which Oyetola was the governor of the state.
Before the last governorship election, in 2022, efforts to reconcile the two leaders proved abortive. In fact, the situation worsened, and this led the Aregesola’s camp pitching its tent with Adeleke. The crisis subsequently led to the defeat of Oyetola in the election,l in favour of the Ademola’s PDP.
In a dramatic form, the crisis between Oyetola and Aregbesola extended to President Tinubu, following which he was accused of backing Oyetola, against his former boss because they were cousins.
Aregbesola saw the body language of President Tinubu, who then was in the race for the presidency, cast aspersions on him openly for being on the sides of Oyetola. This also led to Aregbesola being marginalized then, during the 2022 campaigns of both Oyetola and Tinubu and even now, that Tinubu eventually clinched the presidency.
Although Aregbesola has been trying to stage a come back into the Tinubu’s loyal family, there were indications that he may not have been forgiven, because the cordiality between him and Tinubu, who he served for good eight years as commissioner for works in Lagos State and who also helped him to become the governor of Osun state, has been destroyed due to Osun, APC crisis.
At the heat of the crisis, before the last governorship election, when Oyetola as the incumbent governor allegedly undermined Aregbesola’s group with the determination to send them into the cooler, the group rebuffed him and set up a strong organisation within the party, known as Omoluabi Progressives, which they claimed was meant to reposition the Progressives in Osun State.
But since then, things have never gone down well with the Oyetola group, who announced the suspension of key members and supporters of Omoluabi, from the APC.
Oyetola then, took total control of the party, with the installations of his loyalists into the State Executive of the party.
With both of them now out of power in Osun State, they are struggling to remain relevant, so that they both, would not go into total extinction.
Although Oyetola’s group now controls the party, the recent activities and movements of those in Aregbesola’s camp across the state, appears to be a threat to it.
In the past two months, Aregbesola has been holding meetings with his loyalist across the state, which was assumed, could be an intention to gain back the control of the party, and which could eventually affect the planned move of Oyetola to run again in the governorship in 2026, when the Incumbent, Ademola Adeleke of the PDP, would complete his first term in office. Adeleke is now using his present opportunity to consolidate himself for a second term.
To the Aregbesola Omoluabi’s Progressives’ activities, those in Oyetola’s camp, led by Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, who is the current Chairman of the party, has gone to court to declare Omoluabi Progressives caucus, illegal.
In a suit filed at the Federal High Court, Osogbo, Sooko Lawal urged the Court to further pronounce that Aregbesola, who was a former governor and immediate past Minister of Interior, can’t lead the suspended members of the party and other persons, associating with them, to launch a political parallel group within the APC.
But a former chairman of the party, Adelowo Adebiyi, who is still very loyal to Aregbesola, has fired back that the Oyetola’s caucus has no legal and constitutional right to call for the proscription of their group, since they too have Ileri Oluwa, which could as well be described as a parallel group within the party in Osun State. He pointed out that the Oyetola’s group is afraid of the political weight and popularity of Aregbesola and his Omoluabi group.
According to Adebiyi, it was Oyetola, who betrayed them and caused the crisis between Tinubu and Aregbesola.
Also, Ogbeni Aregbesola backed up Adebiyi’s stand and expantiated on the the issues between him and his erstwhile, Chief of Staff Oyetola.
His words: “The Omoluabi Tendency is a caucus within the All Progressives Congress (APC); actually one of the caucuses in the state. We are not a faction. We are the genuine foundation members of the party and we have no intention of abandoning the ship of the party as it navigates the most turbulent waters. We are no splinters, but long-distance runners and we will still be standing when all the fair-weathers have gone.
However a Chieftain, of the APC in Osun State, Mr. Osunkeyede Olajumoke who appears to be neutral, in a recent interview, argued, that what is now happening in the party is uncalled for. He said, what is needed presently, is to reposition the party, to enable it move forward.
He said, if the party is serious to wrestle power from Governor Adeleke and the PDP, now solidly on ground and daily consolidating their grips on the state, there is a strong need to reposition the APC in Osun State and members to orientate themselves, to face challenges “ahead of us”.
“What we need to do now as a party, we should not sit on the fence but should start to mend fences and settle whatever the rifts in the house if we are serious as a party”
Meanwhile, observers believed that the moves by those in Oyetola’s group is to position him for the governorship in 2026.
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While the group led by Sooko Lawal has been going round the local governments of the state to sensitize the people and win more members to the group, to prepare the ground for the Minister of Marines and Blue economy, others within the same group are not at home with Oyetola coming back. They believed that fielding Oyetola could be a disaster for the party as their belief is that the former governor is not popular in the State presently.
They argued that Osun West, is still strongly behind Adeleke, who is doing everything in the state to win the heart of the people to gain a second term in 2026.
Also the younger elements in the party, believed that Oyetola after his ministerial appointment should give room for a much younger person, preferably, from Osun West. And this is where the names of the present National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru and one Alhaji Bola Oyebamiji. the Managing Director of the Inland Water Ways come into the picture.
