Politics
Renewal of Aregbesola’s suspension deepens Osun APC crisis
A fresh crisis is brewing in the All Progressives Congress, APC, of Osun State, with the suspension of the former governor of the state and the immediate past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregesola. This is his third suspension within a year, which has brought significant tension in Osun politics as a whole.
Aregbesola has been in the bad book of the party in the state since the immediate past governor of the State, and now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, took over from him, when he disregarded him and his followers in his government, despite the fact that Aregbesola’s influence, platform, and structure helped to get to power. This, however, got to a climax in 2023, when the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a cousin to Oyetola, declared his intention to run for the presidency.
Aregbesola, it was insinuated, was among the people proposed by former president Buhari to take over from him, which it was said he denied when he was confronted by Tinubu, who was his former boss. It is, however, actually no longer news that Aregbesola, who served in the government of Tinubu in Lagos as commissioner for works and was aided to become governor by Tinubu, until he became a minister when their relationship soured, was the favourite of Tinubu, and the most sought for, and even controlled Alimosho in Lagos.
While the arguments about who succeeds Buhari was on, it became clear that three of Tinubu’s allies, who served in his cabinet in Lagos and who were in the team of Buhari’s government, namely the former Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who was Tinubu’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice; former Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fasola, who himself, the Chief of Staff to Tinubu and a former governor in Lagos, and Aregbesola were not with their former boss
It was said that both Fasola and Aregbesola preferred Osinbajo to Tinubu and this was not hidden at a stage. While Tinubu’s campaign was going on, it was clear that Aregbesola did not hide his disdain for Tinubu’s presidential ambition both stayed away.
As the gulf between them widens Aregbesola vowed categorically that Oyetola would not enter the second time as governor. And he eventually lost.
Immediately after Tinubu became the president, Aregesola’s fight with him and his nephew, Oyetola became more glaring and that was how Aregbesola did not back Oyetola for a second term and this led to the first suspension of Aregbesola and his followers from the party but that appeared not to have worked as that was the period those in Aregbesola’s group became resolute and formed a parallel camp within the party.
While this was going on, the Oyetola’s group still insisted that they had nothing to do with Aregbesola, who later formed a powerful group known as Omoluabi Progressives, with branches across the Local governments of Osun State. With thiz this move, Aregbesola and men came under severe criticism, which landed them another suspension. While this was going on, both Oyetola and Aregbesola never gave up the battle as to who controls the party because Aregbesola already had his structures solidly on the ground while Oyetola, who had jettisoned Aregbesola’s structures that brought him to power was equally building his own structures.
The Present suspension of Aregbesola, after two failed attempts, which people say had the backing of President Tinubu, never came as a surprise to who ever has been reading the political situations in Osun State, especially in APC.
Aregbesola’s suspension came after a resolution by the party’s executive committee of the Ilesa East Local Government, which demanded that the former governor be disciplined and this was communicated to Mr. Tajudeen Lawal, the Secretary of the party in Osun State.
Aregbesola was accused of anti-party activities, he was asked to be sanctioned in order to restore party discipline and deter other members from engaging in such actions. However the State APC executive committee, after endorsing the position of Ilesa West, sent its outcome to the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, about the disciplinary action against Aregbesola.
In the letter to. Ganduje, the state Exco stated, “Following complaints of anti-party activities leveled against Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola by the llesa East Local Government Executive Committee, the State Executive Committee (SEC), after reviewing the allegations and in accordance with the powers vested in it by Article 21(3) (vi) (c) of the party’s constitution, hereby suspends Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from the party, pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations by a disciplinary committee.
“The State Executive Committee has constituted a disciplinary committee to investigate and provide Ogbeni Aregbesola with the opportunity to respond to the allegations of activities deemed to be in violation of Article 21 (2) of the party’s constitution, particularly relating to anti-party activities that undermine the collective interests of the APC levelled against him as follows:
“Factionalization of the party with the creation of splinter groups i.e. the Omoluabi Caucus; working with opposition parties to undermine the APC in the state; public outbursts against the leaders of the party, including Mr. President, H.E. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), Chief Bisi Akande, and Gboyega Oyetola.”
He was also accused of “refusal to show up or support any party activities in the state; and has refused to vote for the party since after the 2019 general elections.”
It was argued that the reason given for Aregbesola’s suspension was seen beyond that. It was argued that with the present move by those in Aregbesola’s group registering people massively into Omoluabi Progressives with party cards, there were fears that if nothing concrete action was not taken to weaken the Omoluabi’s Progressives, it could scuttle the chances of Oyetola at the end of the day, in securing the ticket of the party.
As a result, the only option left is to get them completely out of the party to avoid two candidates, which could result in unwanted litigations when the election time comes and this it was argued, could cause major distraction for the APC in the coming governorship election.
In fact, Aregbeola’s suspension came just two weeks after Oyetola had announced his intention to run for the governorship again against the incumbent, Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Political observers argued that what may eventually end the suspension is the expulsion of Aregbesola since some of his key supporters have been expelled from the party already because there was no way the former Minister would respond to the queries from the disciplinary committee about all the allegations against him.
As a member of the Omoluabi group said, “those who claimed they have suspended Aregbesola are
dreamers and they expect him to come before their kangaroo disciplinary committee to defend what? I think they and their masters are jokers.”
Also, former Commissioner of Information under Aregbesola, who is a strong member of the Omoluabi Progressives, in a brief telephone chat with Business Hallmark, said the suspension did not move them because they are not in any competition with anybody.
“There is nothing to comment about regarding Oga’s suspension. We are not in any way competing with them. But let us wait and see, time will tell.” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Organising Secretary of the Omoluabi Caucus, Abosede Oluwaseun, in an update about the massive registration into membership of the group, said the response of people has been ‘”encouragingly enormous”, and called on more people of the state to pitch tents with the party caucus.
According to him, “Between June and up to October 2024 the volume of good people of Osun and beyond, who have trooped en mass to register with the Omoluabi Progressives is encouraging.”
“We thank those, who started the journey together, we appreciate those, who have joined us, and we encourage those who will join us to make haste while inviting everybody to join the Omoluabi movement in a bid to make Osun great again and recover the lost glory.
“We urge our teeming lovers and followers not to be distracted by the ranting of the naysayers to the Progressivism ideas as laid down by our political fathers. This same set of political novices had run down the Progressive party and lost power under their watch in 2018,” he stated.
In his reaction, the State Director of Publicity and Strategy of APC, Chief Kola Olabisi has said that there was no going back about the suspension of the former governor, Aregbesola, saying, that he has been giving the opportunity to defend himself and what is expected of him is to do so.
