2022: Plot To Unseat Oyelola Thickens, As APC Crisis Worsens In Osun

By Akinwale Kasali

The hope of Governor Gboyega Oyelola getting the nod to be the All Progressives Congress, APC, flag bearer at the 2022 Osun State Governorship Election hangs in the balance.

Though  he is the incumbent Governor of the State,  strong forces within the APC ranks in the State are battle ready to deny Oyetola the Governorship ticket with series of allegations leveled against him as the 2022 Gubernatorial Election in the State draws close.

Immediate past Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yusuff and former Secretary to Osun State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, have expressed their readiness to work together against the Governor’s second term ambition.

The trio have declared their intention of rescuing the Party from what it described as imminent collapse and electoral loss following the high handedness of the Governor.

Salam, Yusuf and Adeoti are strong and prominent leaders of the APC in Osun State, and have jointly declared that APC cannot win the 2022 governorship election if it fields the incumbent Governor as its candidate in the 2022 polls.

It would be recalled that the trio contested against Oyetola in the APC primaries in 2018, before pitching tent with him. But they have been  however lamenting that the Governor has been playing politics of exclusiveness and disunity.

At a meeting of top APC caucus in the State, Salam disclosed that it was disheartening that genuine APC members who worked for the emergence of Oyetola are being treated as outcasts and nonentities by the Governor and his people.

Salam alleged that Governor Oyetola lacks managerial skills, leading to neglect, mismanagement and ill- treatment of stalwarts of the the party.

He added that Governor Oyetola is an opportunist, who got the party’s ticket on a platter of gold.

Speaking further, he said Yussuff, Adeoti and himself have resolved to downplay individual political interest, accept and work with whoever emerges among them as the candidate of the party in 2022.

He furthermore urged party members to work in unison to realise the dreams of the majority in a bid to salvage the party and the State.

Corroborating Salam, Yusuff said it was painful that the APC in the State is in the hands of an impostor, stating that the party is in disarray and needed to be restructured, leading to his decision to join hands with other leaders of the party in The Osun Progressives because of his love for progressives, his relationship with the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aragbesola, and the need to take the party back to the genuine progressives in the state.

According to him, APC ran into problem in 2018 because its leaders refused to allow collective leadership to play out, accusing them of imposing Oyetola on the APC members.

In his address, Adeoti, the Governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in 2018, said it was surprising that a Governor that won with just 482 votes would be chasing away quality APC members and leaders.

Adeoti said it was hypocritical and unfair for Oyetola to be disassociating  himself from policies, programmes and projects of Aregbesola’s administration, disclosing that he was actively involved in every decision of the Government as the Chief of Staff to the Governor.

The former SSG accused elders of the APC of nonchalant attitude to the settlement of misunderstanding in the party before it snowballed into full crisis.

He specifically accused the former Chairman of the party, Prince Gboyega Famodun of being a party to the crisis, saying that the former Chairman of the APC was also not willing to relate with anybody that has relationship with Aregbesola.

Adeoti concluded that the window of reconciliation has been closed, stating that what is needed was to be united to rescue the party from sinking.

The Osun APC Chairman, Hon. Rasaq Salinsile, said it was unfortunate that the party found itself in the current mess, saying that the crisis would have been settled had Oyetola been a genuine progressive and a fair human being.

Salinsile said the party has decided to choose a candidate from Osun West Senatorial District in the 2022 Governorship election.

There is no response from Oyetola or his group yet.