Tinubu is a creation of Rauf Aregbesola. It was Aregbesola that made him Lagos West senator, from the SDP primary to the election.
It was also Aregbesola that made him Lagos governor, winning the AD primary by defeating Afenifere’s candidates, Funso William and Kofo Bucknor before winning the main election.
It was Rauf that retired Baba Jakande and rolled back PDP and APP in Lagos.
Aregbesola was also given a blank cheque after Tinubu completed his second term to retire Tinubu permanently from politics and create a new Lagos power structure around himself and a former governor in the state.
Aregbesola rejected the offer and leaked the plot to Tinubu. That singular reason is why Tinubu is still relevant politically today.
But Aregbesola is naรฏve. There is a limit to political loyalty to a power monger like Tinubu. Sooner or later, Tinubu will hate him and will be seeking his destruction. He doesn’t have to offend or displease Tinubu.
In power relations, desperate power mongers do no want to be beholden to anyone. They don’t want to owe anyone a debt of gratitude. They would rather you are the one owing them.
And it is true that Tinubu, like King Saul in the bible, has been throwing javelins at Aregbesola since 2017 while he was still Osun Governor. But unfortunately Aregbesola did not send the signals early.
Tinubu has conceived of Aregbesola as a competitor to the presidency since 2017 and has been seeking his destruction, since in politics, like war, all is fair.
The succession of Aregbesola with Oyetola (his brother, not cousin, please) was a grand move to deny Aregbesola the Osun platform when the time arrives.
If Aregbesola had known this, he would have removed him as chief of staff and definitely succeeded himself with a more suitable candidate from Osun West.
That singular mistake of replacing himself with an enemy is what Aregbesola is paying for now.
Neutralizing a potential opponent is the reason he also nominated Omisore as minister in the thinking that if Aregbesola is exposed to Abuja, his gifts, grace and youthfulness would commend him to the power brokers and make his candidature compelling.
Aregbesola becoming a minister therefore is the last stroke and Tinubu took off the gloves since then.
Unfortunately, it took Aregbesola a long while to know that his boss and mentor had long drawn the knives at him and had been striking him repeatedly at the back in Osun through Oyetola and in Lagos.
But we are not God. Only Him knows tomorrow from yesterday.
God will deliver Aregbesola because he has done only good, good and good to Tinubu. Aregbesola has related with him truthfully, honestly and with integrity.
But evil has never overcome good in the history of the universe. And as Dele Giwa wrote, no evil deed from man to man shall go unpunished. If not by men, then by God. If not now, then certainly later. For the triumph of evil over good can only be temporary.
