By Adeleye Kunle
The faction of the Osun State All Progressives Congress loyal to Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola has claimed that the fight between him and incumbent governor Gboyega Oyetola resulted in defeat in the election last Saturday, TrackNews reports.
Rasaq Salinsile, Chairman of Aregbesola’s faction of the APC, and Abiodun Agboola, factional Publicity Secretary, told PUNCH that the party’s lack of unity cost it the election victory.
Salinsile stated that it was clear that Oyetola came to destroy the party by engaging in segregation politics and blacklisting those associated with Aregbesola.
“However, it is undeniable that Governor Isiaka Oyetola came to destroy our party,” he said. Despite all odds, we all worked together as a family to install him as governor. But as soon as he arrived, he began politics of segregation and divide and rule tactics in the hope of whipping everyone back into line; in particular, he was opposed to anything Aregbesola.
“How on earth can you be Chief of Staff to a sitting governor for eight years and pretend to him to be someone you’re not?” I’ve never met anyone like that in my life, and I’m not a young man.
“He had not yet been sworn in when he began the segregation, hatred-based politics.” Anyone who has anything to do with the state’s immediate past governor, Aregbesola, automatically becomes a member of his black book.”
According to the factional chairman, they met with some chieftains, including Bisi Akande and Bola Tinubu.
“How can the leader of a house behave that way and you expect that house to be peaceful?” he asked. We repeated it several times without hesitation so that those with ears would hear. We went to our leaders, beginning with Baba Akande, the APC’s national chairman. Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) sent us Alhaji Masari from Katsina state as the APC presidential candidate’s stand-in.
“He said our resolutions should be written down and that he would return the next day to collect them, claiming Asiwaju gave him that assignment.” We haven’t seen him since yesterday. He never returned. Oyetola texted me three times, asking if I would pick up if he called. Will I accept his invitation if he extends it to me? And I told him he was still my governor and that I admired him.
“He will always disappoint you.” He later stated that the situation was beyond his control. Whose authority was it then? That means he is being controlled remotely from somewhere. This outcome was anticipated.”
Abiodun Agboola, the APC’s factional publicity secretary in Osun State, also blamed internal squabbles for the party’s defeat in the governorship election.
“The election has come and gone, and a winner has emerged,” he said. I believe the people have spoken, and as a result, our party has been defeated. No organization can enter an election divided without suffering the humiliating defeat suffered by the progressives in Osun on Saturday.
“Part of our problem is internal strife, and we demanded that the party step in to resolve the crisis before the election.” Exclusion is what caused the internal wrangling, and when you exclude some people from participating, that is what you get.
“I hope the party will learn from this and put things right because the presidential election in 2023 is still a few months away.”
