Fresh revelation has been made by a caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Omoluabi Progressives concerning the rift between President Bola Tinubu and his estranged godson, Rauf Aregbesola.
The caucus loyal to former governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, claimed that Gboyega Oyetola and his faction in the major opposition party in the state created the crisis between Aregbesola and Tinubu through spiritual machinations and mischief.
In a statement the group issued on Wednesday by its leader, Adelowo Adebiyi, a former Chairman of Osun APC, while reacting to a suit instituted by the APC before a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, which sought for the proscription and prohibition of Omoluabi Progressives Caucus, the group accused Oyetola, the current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy of frustrating moves by Aregbesola to make peace with President Tinubu.
While noting that Oyetola-led faction of Osun APC is jittery of the Aregbesola’s growing popularity and that of his caucus, Adebiyi stated that the Minister is guilty of anti-party and that he ought to be blacklisted.
The statement read, “We read in the news a report of a purported suit instituted by Gboyega Oyetola-led faction of the APC against our leader and former governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on the formation of Omoluabi Progressives Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
“While respondents in the said suit are yet to be served, we note that the Gboyega Oyetola-led faction of the APC is no doubt jittery of the political strength and popularity of Aregbesola and the Omoluabi caucus who have for decades been the pillar of progressive politics in Osun.
“The purported litigation is a clear case of frustrated individuals who had thought that their mischiefs, shenanigans and lies would have negatively affected Aregbesola’s popularity, but were surprised that his popularity and influence are waxing stronger.
Accusing Oyetola of fueling the feud between the former Governor of Lagos State and his erstwhile Commissioner, Adebiyi said, “Of a fact is the continuous move by Oyetola and his followers to frustrate any reconciliation move to unite Aregbesola and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. They do not want the crisis they created through mischief and spiritual means to settle between Aregbesola and Tinubu so as to continue calling themselves what they are not. The political jobbers who had assumed leadership positions and directing the affairs of the party now would no doubt continue to fan the embers of discord for their selfish purposes at the expense of the party.”
On the anti-party allegations against Aregbesola and some members of the Omoluabi caucus, he averred, “We have continued to challenge our accusers to bring out evidence(s) to prove their allegation, which they have failed to do for over a year.
“If there is anyone (guilty of anti-party by definition) to be totally expelled and blacklisted from the APC, the person should be Oyetola who because of his hatred for Aregbesola and attempts to assume the leadership of the party, maliciously vandalised the political duplex building bequeathed to him by his predecessor. He introduced bitter politics and division to Osun APC with an attempt to bring down Aregbesola at all costs.
“While Oyetola was busy casting aspersions on Aregbesola and destroying his legacies, he was indirectly demarketing the APC and poisoning the minds of the electorate against the party. An example of this is the mismanagement of Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme and O’ Meal vendors. It is on record that Oyetola didn’t recruit any OYES cadets in spite of the depletion of officers of the scheme to about 6,000 from 20,000. The social mobilisation programmes put in place by the progressive administration of Aregbesola were discontinued; party members were not treated well and all the channels of empowering the party members were blocked. Instead of deploying the political power with him to serve the people, he was only serving his cronies.”
