Whoever Says Aregbesola Does Not Matter in Osun is Politically Ignorant – Ex-Reps Dep. Speaker.
Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yussuf, has said that whoever declares that former Governor of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola, does not matter in the politics of the state is politically ignorant.
He said that the election that brought in Governor Gboyega Oyetola into office in 2018 went the way it went because of Aregbesola’s unalloyed loyalty to former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Speaking on a radio station, Rave FM in Osogbo, Friday morning, the former Speaker said those around Oyetola and his Ileri-Oluwa are bunch of deceitful politicians with no values in elections.
Yussuf spoke less than 24 hours after picking his expression of interest form to contest the next election in 2022.
Saying that he never fought Aregbesola, the former Deputy Speaker said he was aware Aregbesola’s loyalty made it impossible for him to tell Tinubu back that Oyetola was a hard sell to the people of Osun.
He said most of those parading themselves as leaders of the All Progressive Congress around the governor today don’t know what the party went through to reclaim the state from the Peoples Democratic Party.
He added that all those leading The Osun Progressives (TOP) in the APC are his friends and political associates.
Lasun said when he sought to be Speaker in 2015, Aregbesola was categorical that he would part ways with him because Tinubu had a candidate.
He said Aregbesola told him, “I’ll always choose Asiwaju. If you go the way you want to go, we might likely have to part ways. That’s Aregbesola. He’s a fantastic human being. That is the only loyalist of Asiwaju that I know. He told me point black that if you don’t listen to me and go ahead to become the Speaker or Deputy Speaker, we’ll part ways because I can never negotiate my relationship with Asiwaju. He told me this!
The former lawmaker said around 2013 or 2014, Aregbesola called him confidently he said ‘Lasun, Asiwaju has taken ill, let’s be organizing prayer for him.’
He said, “I knew what Aregbesola did by involving me. They were organizing prayers every time for this man. Today, if they are fighting, it’s their problem it’s not my problem.”
Yussuf said he is aware that the former governor has sacrificed a lot because of Tinubu adding that he is one of those Aregbesola had parted ways with because of his loyalty to the former Lagos State Governor.
He said, “Even if they are fighting I don’t care but what I know is Rauf Aregbesola has sacrificed the relationship he has with many of us. He told me this and I know what I share with Rauf. Rauf is three things to me: One, I consider him my senior brother. Two, he’s my friend and three, he’s my confidant. If that is sufficient for your question, that is what Rauf is to me.”
Asked if he still holds anything against the Minister of Interior for not supporting his governorship ambition or as Deputy Speaker, he said, “The Speakership one, I didn’t hold it against him because he told me if you are not going to listen to what Asiwaju is going to do, we are going to part ways, he told me that, so, I’m not going to hold that against him. Initially I was furious that he didn’t support my governorship ambition but today I have a free mind. That time is gone and that one is gone, I don’t want to remember that again.
