Tensions within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun state reached a new level of intensity on Friday following allegations of a plot to suspend former interior minister Rauf Aregbesola from the party.
Abosede Oluwaseun, a former factional youth leader of the APC, claimed to have uncovered a grand plot to suspend the former governor Aregbesola. Oluwaseun pointed fingers at former governor Adegboyega Oyetola and five of his loyalists, accusing them of orchestrating the suspension.
The alleged plotters include a Senator and former speaker of the House of Assembly who lost their re-election bids, as well as a former commissioner for works and transport, and a former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs.
The brewing crisis within the Osun APC has now intensified with these allegations, further highlighting the deep divisions within the party. The implications of this alleged plot to suspend Aregbesola and the responses from key party members remain to be seen.
“We have it on high authority that the Ilesa Ward 8 executives of the APC, which is Aregbesola’s ward, were manipulated Wednesday to sign a blank sheet of paper on the pretense that the APC state leadership wanted to get their commitment to the progress of the party.
“We are also reliably informed that a huge amount of money was given to the ward executives a few hours ago by an emissary sent by Oyetola and other conspirators.
“We note that having failed in the various attempts to blackmail Aregbesola, Oyetola, and others resulted in unjustly suspending Aregbesola to stall the reconciliation between him and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We want to state it clearly that any attempt to suspend Aregbesola will backfire,” Oluwaseun said.
But, the state chairman of the party, Tajudeen Lawal, wondered why Aregbesola, who had been hobnobbing with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would claim to be a member of the APC.
In a statement issued Friday by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, Lawal stated that it was no longer news that Aregbesola and his co-travelers through The Osun Progressives (TOP) have been consistently working against the interest of the APC and its candidates in Osun.
“One would have thought that the appropriate place for Aregbesola to ventilate his anger is the Ede country home of Governor Adeleke who rewarded two of his loyalists with the commissioner appointments for helping the APC governorship candidate, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, lose the Osun state election.
“I see Aregbesola’s allegation as being tantamount to a sinner running when no one is chasing him.”
