OSUN APC CRISIS, NO END IN SIGHT.
Permit me to air my view on the crisis that has being engulfing the Osun progressive family since almost immediately the immediate past governor of Osun Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola took over the mantle of leadership from his predecessor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
It is no longer news that immediate past governor Gboyega Oyetola started the crisis with his introduction of politics of segregation whereby Rauf Aregbesola and anybody associating with him were completely sidelined for the whole four years of Gboyega Oyetola’s governorship in Osun and the reason why he failed to secure the second term reelection bid.
A lot have been said about this and many people who are keenly watching the dramas already know what and who actually instigated the needless crisis.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola handed over a healthy and united party structure to his successor who failed to manage the party well as a result of his vindictiveness against his predecessor. Oyetola inherited two out of three senate seats,six out of nine federal house of representatives seats,and as well twenty three out of twenty six house of assembly seats but,before Óyetola left office,he has already lost all except just one house of assembly seat with K-Leg.And the reason for this setback is no other than the result of politics of segregation he introduced.
Oyetola though administratively brilliant,but politically,he is a complete failure and this is evidence in the results of July 16th 2022 governorship election where Oyetola was the party’s candidate and the subsequent elections where he singlehandedly picked all candidates only from his camp (IleriOluwa) and left others from Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who also obtained nomination forms with millions of Naira without given or conceding just a single seat for them.
Politics has always being give and take all over the world but,in the case of Oyetola and his political group,it is winner take all, Kíko lamaakoo. Only a political novice would be expecting total commitment from party members who are not motivated or given senses of belongings in the party.I wouldn’t know what informed that stupid decisions of Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola to take everything to his side alone and be expecting positive results at the end.
Osun APC wouldn’t have lost it all if Oyetola had allowed politics of all inclusiveness, but he allowed himself to be misled be sycophants around him who lack any electoral values.
I pity some people blaming Osun APC political wranglings on Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,who among these people could have accepted the kind of treatments melted out on Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola by his successor in office,not even Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu could take that but,because of hypocrisy,many of them are just blaming Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola without being fair with him.
Fact many do not know as regard the crisis is that even if Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola had come to campaign for Oyetola before july 16th 2022,the same thing would have happened because Oyetola had taken the crisis too far and personal to the extent that many party faithfuls have lost interest and confidence in him as a result of the utterances of the people around him who have also added salts to the injuries of party members.
How could a reasonable political leader take up harm against the same party members knowing fully well that he will need their supports and votes during elections?
For those of you blaming Rauf Aregbesola,was Ogbeni the one responsible for the constant attacks on ORANMIYAN house in Osogbo where his loyalists were wounded, properties were destroyed?
Was Ogbeni responsible for the arraignment of his loyalists before a magistrate in Osogbo on frivolous charges?
Was Ogbeni behind prevention of his loyalists from fair participations in electoral process within the party after obtaining the nomination forms?
The bitter truth is if not for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,whom Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola holds in a very high esteem,Òyètola in the first instance would not have smelled the Chief of staff position in 2010 when Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola first appointed him and put him ahead of people like Barrister Gbenga Akano who was Ogbeni’s choice then before Asiwaju imposed Oyetola on him because, as at that time nobody knew Oyetola from Adam in Osun politics, but because of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s complete Loyalty to Asiwaju,he emerged the chief of staff to Ogbeni.He became the governor of Osun the same way in 2018 when Asiwaju instructed Ogbeni as usual that Oyetola was going to succeed him and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola did not object to it.
Imagine Oyetola had paid back the same loyalty to Ogbeni just the same way Ogbeni has been doing to Asiwaju,we would not had have any issue at all,but unfortunately Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s loyalty to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu wasn’t paid back by Oyetola and many of those who also passed through Ogbeni Rauf tutelage.For instance,look at senator Ajibola Basiru who was brought to political limelight by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,look at Omowaiye Oluremi and others who were brought to political limelight by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and see as many of them are behaving now to the same man God used for them to attain their political height.
Apart from when Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola had issue with Asiwaju and even despite having issue with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,Ogbeni never denied the fact that Asiwaju mentored him politically whereas the same can not be said about SRJ, Remi Omowaiye and others who also passed through Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to attained their political height. Some of them are even equating themselves with Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola now, Allahu Akbar 🤔
Now back to the main topic,NO END IN SIGHT;
Many people including myself had thought immediately President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assume office as the commander in chief,the first step he would take is to see to the rebuilding, restructuring,and reconciliation in the states where APC in enmeshed in crisis most especially Osun state to put the party in vantage position for future electoral contests,and while we were expecting this,one of the steps we believe the president would take is to allow peaceful resolution of the crisis between himself and his political godson Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,the process which had kicked started before the demise of the Alaafin of Oyo HRM Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda.The said reconciliation had reached certain stage before the general elections and from the informations available to us, the Ooni of Ife had also done a lot in this regard and the efforts of the Ulamas too on this same matter can never be over emphasized.
All efforts by some powerful people to make sure the matter is amicably resolved before the governorship election were frustrated by some elements within Asiwaju’s camp.
I personally thought President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would have soft pedals on anything that might occurred between him and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola after he had attained the position of commander in chief which, if go deeply,is part of the reasons the crisis reached the level it reached. Now Asiwaju has been president of Nigeria and,which has been his long time ambition and,I think whatever might be his personal grudges against Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola should be allowed to lay to rest now except if Ogbeni has been caught in bed with the first lady😁
If someone like me is talking about reconciliation within Osun APC, I am not doing so for selfish reason but because of the fact that I love the party and I want the party to be rebuild purposely because of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is having relations with the state and as well to put the party in the best position in preparation for 2026/2027 general elections again.
Even within the IleriOluwa camp,they have divided now not to talk about our own caucus,so the party (APC) is still in mess. Part of the reasons why Osun APC crisis escalated is lopsided appointments and arrangements within the party whereby one zone continue dominating others in party appointments and selections.
To win elections takes collective and collaborative works of all stakeholders who would have been given sense of belongings and fair sharing of political offices.
How can a zone who produced a minister still produced National secretary in a state being ruled by opposition party, and that party is planning and struggling to regain power back?How do you expect other zones that are already marginalized to show any kind of commitment towards that project?
It is easy to be a ruling party in the state and make such a great political mistake or miscalculation bearing it in mind that there are other positions at the state level which can be used to balance the lopsidedness, but not as an opposition party struggling to take over power from the ruling party in the nearest future.
I don’t think there is any end in sight.
Adabanija Kamorudeen Oladepo Mayegun is my name.
Writing from Ara, Egbedore local government area ward 3.
