By Ayodele Oni and Akinwale Kasali
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Friday said, categorically, that the All Progressive Congress, (APC) in Osun state is factionalized.
Early this week, a Recondition Committee from the National Headquarters of the APC led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was in the state to mend fences for aggrieved members of the party.
The relationship between Governor Gboyega Oyetola, and Aregbesola has not been cordial since he became Governor, despite that he served as the Chief of Staff to Aregbesola when he was Governor.
The last Congress of the party in the state produced two parallel Executives – one loyal to Aregbesola and the other one to Governor Oyetola.
At an event on Friday in Ilesha, the Minister declared himself as one of the members of The Osun Progressives (TOP), one of the groups of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
This is contrary to insinuation and belief from some Government officials that Aregbesola was not involved in the activities of TOP in the State.
He made the declaration at the commisioning of the Digital Nigeria Centre (DNC) in Ijesa Muslim Grammar School, Ilesa.
The Minister declared that “I belong to TOP, the group established to correct the wrong within the APC.
“I greet the Chairman of APC, Honourable Rasaki Salinsile, the Chairman of my own APC in Osun.”
A group loyal to Governor Oyetola had told the Reconciliation Committee during its fence mending visit to the State that Salinsile was not recognized as Chairman of APC in Osun state.
The National Reconciliation Committee had met the leadership of the party in the state led by Hon. Rasaq Salinsile.
Speaking with newsmen at the end of the meeting, Chairman of the Reconcilation Committee, Senator Adamu, expressed optimism that the crisis in the party in Osun would be resolved.
“We are very encouraged with the presentations of the party members. The people have been straightforward, they have been very honest in their various submissions and we have taken note of the comments, contributions and the interventions they made.
“We are a Committee, we were sent by the party. We will take all of these things. Where we have reasons that are tangible in the petitions, we listen to the petitioners, then we make our report to the people that appointed us.”
In his submission before the Committee, the APC Chairman in Osun state, Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile, said his executives at the meeting demanded that Governor Adegboyega Oyetola should resign from the National Caretaker and Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee, since he has declared intention to contest for second term.
Salinsile said his faction also demanded for the validation of the ward, local and state congresses it conducted in the State.
“Our demands were two. One, our executives from the ward, local government and state levels of the party in the state of Osun should be recognised.
“We also want Governor Oyetola to resign from the National Caretaker Committee. Since he has declared to contest for second term and the National Secretariat, which he (Oyetola) is part of will conduct the primaries, then he cannot be a judge in his own case.
“His involvement in the lingering crisis in the party is not an understatement as he has no doubt influenced the decisions of the committees earlier sent to the state.
“We are hopeful that this committee won’t be like the others and will do what is just and right.”
With Aregbesola’s open declaration for TOP, the party has further been polarized and it certainly spells a long walk ahead for Oyetola and the APC.
Political analysts and observers of Osun State politics are of the opinion that the crisis in the APC could avail the opposition Party an edge and, thus, a victory at the upcoming Governorship polls.
For months, there speculations have been strong that there is a rift between APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Aregbesola. The Minister’s declaration for TOP has confirmed that this may not be further from the truth.
Governor Oyetola is a cousin to Tinubu, and Tinubu was the mastermind of Aregbesola’s victory at the polls for two consecutive terms.
For Aregbesola to be working against the re-election of Oyetola speaks volumes.
Though, he campaigned and supported the election of Oyetola as Governor in 2018, things have since changed, and both men have fallen apart.
Aregbesola, has also, surprisingly, not commented on the Presidential ambition of Tinubu in 2023.
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