Former Governor of Osun State and Immediate past Minister of Interior was received into the State yesterday, but unlike his previous visits, this was devoid the usual “acrimony” his visits was noted for since he left the Abere, Oshogbo’s Government House. 

“Let me also reiterate that I hold no grudge against anyone”, the former Governor declared in Ilesa, Thursday (8 June, 2023). “I hold no grudge against anyone. My hands are wide open to work with even those who sought to destroy us. I have offended no one, but those who feel offended by our existence and loyalty to progressive ideals should forgive us.

He thanked God and the entire people of the State for his success far. “It has been a very interesting journey. I owe my success to God, President Tinubu and President Buhari”, he declared in a statement he released Thursday morning.

But despite the public recanting his damaging comments and opinions about the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the immediate past Minister of Interior and one time Governor of Osun Stat, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Wednesday (7 June, 2023), he still kept receiving hots flanks from the aggrieved members of the party, both in Osun and Lagos States.

Neither President Bola Tinubu, whom he took to the cleaners in the run down to the party’s Presidential primaries nor the ousted Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, whom he aided his defeat by the opposition, has formally responded to his public apologies, but close associates have made snide remarks about the declaration both in Oshogbo, the State capital and Ilesa, his home town Wednesday.

The former Minister of Interior did not hide the fact that he totally regrated his feud with both the leadership of his political family, both the Mandate Group in Lagos and All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State. He ate the humble pie by openly apologizing for his “untoward disposition” to the party. 

A party leader spoken to in Oshogbo revealed to www.focusmagazineonline.com that “with the former Governor’s new reapproach, coupled with the efforts being made by the erstwhile Governor, Oyetola to reposition the party, the party shall regains its footings in the State and nip in the bud the seemingly intractable crises rocking the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State.” 

The former governor, Aregbesola, at the reception held for him during his homecoming in Oshogbo and Ilesa Wednesday revealed the reasons behind the disagreement between him and his successor, Gboyega Oyetola, and by extension, President Tinubu.

Aregbesola blamed it all on an innocuous statement he made after the Supreme Court judgement declaring Gboyega Oyetola the duly elected Governor of the State in 2019. He said the statement was misinterpreted for what he didn’t meant to say and the devil used that avenue to cause a division between him and his successor.

The former Governor was quoted to have said in 2019: “In July 2019 after the Supreme Court victory, we were together in this venue where we call on ourselves to be united. I said on that day that I’d concluded my tenure and hand over to the person I preferred but warned that it was left for my successor to be a good person and that I will be the godfather”.

He regretted that “my statement was misconstrued and the devil took over leading to the rift that lasted four years. I did not request anything from my successor talkless of being denied such a thing but some people just feel envious of our presence. Despite all of these, I seek forgiveness from those who felt offended by some of our actions.

Aregbesola attributed all his political successes from 1999 till date to the goodwill of President Bola Tinubu, who he said identified him and supported his political aspirations since 1999 from Lagos State.

The former Governor reviewed the events of the past few years and in a sober reflection, asked for “forgiveness from everyone who felt slighted by events of the last four years”.

The former Minister declared further that he “was in the state to seek total reconciliation and development of the progressive tendency in the State”.

According to him, politics in this part of the world is about acrimony, but today, I am not here for that. We are here to seek reconciliation and forgiveness. My successes as governor were a collective achievement, including those who turned themselves into our enemies today.

“After this, I will not beg anybody again. We didn’t offend anyone and we don’t believe anyone offended us but it’s possible that they believe we offended them, that’s why we are seeking forgiveness”, he said.

But Rauf Aregbesola had hardly finished with his pontification of peace and reconciliation, when a Lagos-based political analyst, Sunday Wale Adeniran pounced ferociously on him.  

Obviously enraged by the former Minister’s antics during the Osun State Governorship election last July and the Presidential election where he was the former Governor was alleged to have actively aided the victory of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, he wrote “Tinubu got to know you through his mother, Alhaja Abibat and took you as his most trusted confidant over time. You became so powerful that other Tinubu men wondered why Asiwaju made you his number two. Your words were laws in his camp”.

He continued his tirade, “he made you his powerful commissioner of works in Africa’s busiest and most populated state. Lagos indigenes were angry that a man from Osun was given that office but Tinubu didn’t reject you. He loved and trusted you”.

“And when it was time for Osun state gubernatorial election, he supported you to get ACN ticket and when PDP, in their usual way stole your mandate, he gave you all the support anyone can think of to get back your stolen mandate and so from your very humble beginning, you became an Executive Governor and Tinubu did not demand a kobo from you throughout. Then, he felt that Oyetola should get APC ticket after you and that was his offence against you- his unpardonable offence. Oyetola managed to win despite your (sic) not supporting him”.

He went on: “Yes, that Oyetola did not manage you well could be true but why not look back at where you started from? You became a Minister and deployed the paramilitary under your ministry to compromise the election in Osun state last year against the party that made you a commissioner, a governor and a minister. You promised to use your resources to fight the party in your state. You told God that He should bring Tinubu down but God said no”.

“The day Oyetola lost, you were in US that Sunday morning where you quoted a Bible passage to express your gratitude that Oyetola and by extension, Tinubu lost which you later pulled down after we reacted to your insensitivity to progressives who never benefited anything from the party yet always want her to succeed”, he alleged further.

“You said that Asiwaju was peeing on his body before the primary. You became the beautiful bride of those who hate Asiwaju. Some of them posted nonsense to defend your nonsense. But a day after the expiration of your eight years in office as minister, Tinubu was sworn in as President. I know that you big bosses at the very top know how you settle your issues but your conduct was very irresponsible, ungodly and wicked. And we will say it. We don’t eat from your table and so we owe people like you nothing. Now, you said it’s all the work of the devil. You are apologizing only because Tinubu won”, he concluded.

Also, the media aide of the immediate past Governor of Osun State, Ismail Omipidan, joined the fray in bashing the erstwhile Minister. He wrote: “In every corridor of power around the globe, there are people who call the shots. Some are seen. Others are invisible. But you hear and see their exploits. They are real. They wield enormous powers such that the real occupier of the office, on behalf of whom the powers are wielded, most times, defers to them and relies on them to take certain critical decisions. Most times, when they are not within reach, critical decisions must be delayed. Unless they have their say, nothing moves, nothing works. They are called the powers behind the throne!”

“Around President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in those days, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the immediate past Interior Minister, was the de facto Power Behind the Throne. You hardly get anything without his input and final stamp. Once you encounter President Tinubu, the next thing is ‘go and see Rauf’, he revealed.

He further added that “as Governor of Osun State, unless certain Lagos matters get to Osogbo, they are never resolved. Tickets into certain offices in Lagos are got from Osogbo, with the express approval of ‘Rauf’”.

Omipidan posited that “with Tinubu, Rauf’s words were law. Fall out with Rauf, then you are out of favour with Tinubu. But somehow, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola mismanaged the relationship, abused the trust and even attempted to play God. Now, he is left in the cold to leak his wounds”. 

He was apparently peeved off by the declaration of the former Governor that “after this, he would not beg anybody again”. Omipidan fired back, “curiously, rather than retrace his steps, show remorse and find a way to be reintegrated into the fold for possible political rehabilitation, Aregbesola appears to be grandstanding.  Unfortunately, those he misled and turned into political orphans in Osun are still urging him on. They are the ones who say they are welcoming him back to Osun. For what really, I do not know”.

“As minister, he was treated to a celebratory banquet by the APC Government in Osun, led by Adegboyega Oyetola. Today, he is being welcomed not by the Osun State APC”, he said. 

The media aide accused the former Minister that “while in Abuja, he never participated in any election here in Osun. He never showed any iota of concern for Osun as a minister during the raving COVID-19 pandemic. It is on record that as a member of the Presidential Committee on COVID-19, Aregbesola behaved as though Osun needed no support from the FG to the extent that after Osun successfully contained the famous Ejigbo 127 Ivory Coast returnees, he almost forced another set on Osun”.

© www.focusmagazineonline.com 2023