OYETOLA’S DOUBLE SPEAK: A CHEAP BLACKMAIL
It is cheap blackmail for Governor Oyetola to accuse members of The Osun Progressive of not speaking Aregbesola’s mind. The various policies reversal was cheap blackmail against Aregbesola and now Governor Oyetola is calling him a brother because Osun 2022 election is fast approaching. Policy reversal was a step that Oyetola, used to blackmail Aregbesola in Osun state and I consider it as sign of crack in the relationship between the governor and his predecessor. Folorunsho Bamisayemi, the Osun commissioner for Education, was speaking Aregbesola’s mind with his ringing verdict on the Aregbesola-era “mega schools”, which he thumbed down as a virtual waste. “I will renovate every school in Osun and put more teachers if I have access to the money used in building a mega school,” he told the press, insisting those 10 schools, with an eleventh 90 per cent completed, all built with N16.5 billion of public funds, were being underutilized. Some of Governor Oyetola supporters have accused Aregbesola, of initiating all the failed policies that were recently reversed and that he almost drove the state to the brink of bankruptcy. Governor Oyetola is now talking of the success of Aregbesola’s administration because of Osun 2022 election. What an irony? Governor Oyetola needs to consult his commissioner for education before making the above statement.
Governor Oyetola no doubt is speaking the mind of Aregbesola by introducing policy reversal and renaming of Aregbesola’s projects. Governor Oyetola has said that members of The Osun Progressive, TOP are not speaking the mind of Aregbesola but he has forgotten so soon how he used policies reversal to humiliate Aregbesola, the reversal of the parliamentary system of government at local government level, reversal on school merger and single school uniform and some others policies introduced by the Aregbesola’s administration, but reversed by a cabinet led by Governor Oyetola. Policy reversal is a serious embarrassment on Aregbesola and this has set the political camp of the former governor and current Interior Minister against the supporters of his predecessor. Governor Oyetola has forgotten that some of his supporters have accused Aregbesola of working against Oyetola during Osun 2018 election. They accused Aregbesola of being responsible for the re-run of 2018 election. Governor Oyetola supporters have accused Aregbesola that his refusal to pay workers’ salaries was one of the factors that made Oyetola almost lost 2018 election. Governor Oyetola has renamed some of Aregbesola’s projects and he is blaming members of TOP for not speaking Aregbesola’s mind. Governor Oyetola should do the right thing and stop blaming members of TOP.
Ismail Omipidan CPS to Governor Oyetola and other supporters of Oyetola were alleged to have accused Aregbesola of working against Oyetola in the last election, 2018. Ismail Omipidan at one time in Abuja accused Rauf AREGBESOLA as responsible for the close lost of 2018 election. Several commissioners in Governor Oyetola’s cabinet and their supporters have used the corus of Osun debt to embarrass Aregbesola. It is hypocritical for Governor Oyetola to say that members of TOP are not speaking Aregbesola’s mind. This is cheap blackmail. Recently, some supporters of Governor Oyetola mobilized some pensioners in Osun State to embarrass Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior when he came to commission the new Osogbo Correctional Centre.
GOVERNOR Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State has affirmed that only God and the people of Osun State will determine his fate in 2022, adding that those parading themselves as members of The Osun Progressives, (TOP) are not speaking the mind of his predecessor and Minister of Interior minister, Mr Rauf Aregbesola.
According to him, having worked for the success of Aregbesola for eight years, there was no reason for his predecessor not to support him. Oyetola made these known at the weekend while featuring on a Live Radio Interview as part of activities to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the creation of Osun. Specifically, the governor was asked regarding the activities of some chieftains of the party parading themselves as TOP and claiming to be Aregbesola’s loyalists. The group had in recent times given indication that its members were likely not to endorse the governor for another term.
The governor said, “Well, those people — I’m not too sure that the people that have been saying that are saying his mind. I believe he is my brother and I believe at any point in time, he wants my success because I worked very hard for eight years for his own success as well.
“If people are saying that (that they won’t support me) I’m not too sure they are telling the story from his own heart. He remains my brother. They are not speaking his mind. Like I said, I don’t see why he would not be willing to support me if the people say they want me.”
Oyetola further said: “Talking about issue of second term, my attitude is to deliver on what I am currently doing. I don’t want to be distracted. It is service to the people. If the people believe that they want me to continue, so be it. It is not a desperate situation. “However, we have not gotten to that level (election). It is God that gives power. His appointment is not negotiable. It is God’s wish that I am the governor today. So, the issue of second term is left to God and the people of Osun to decide.”
Governor Oyetola supporters have accused Aregbesola of attempts to reduce the governor to a mere puppet, as a source noted that the Minister never wanted Oyetola to succeed him as governor in the first place. Some of them cited an attempt to frustrate the governor during his campaign days when the former governor stalled their rallies while he travelled to Malaysia and allowed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to dominate the political field.
The people are representative of God. I want to advise Governor Oyetola that he will be unbreakable only if he can face the most realistic option by teaming up with member of TOP before 2022. In 2014 during the election between Aregbesola and Omisore, Late Governor Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke was violently attacked on a midnight at the Ideal next hotel in Osogbo because he was suspected to be coasting home to victory for the primary election to pick a Governorship Candidate for PDP due to his suspected endorsement by the then presidency of Good luck Jonathan. Adeleke of blessed memory later withdrew from the race on the ground of violence. In that year, a foremost strategist on the side of Adeleke by the name Alhaji Kazim Akinleye was badly wounded and he identified his attacker. The incident was witnessed by the then Police Affairs Minister. The primary victim and first executive Governor of Osun State Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke did reported to the police immediately after he had ensured medical intervention for his wounded lieutenants in the hand of the attackers. They claimed to have footages from CCTV cameras. Interestingly the then sitting Governor did not dock our erstwhile Leader, Iyiola Omisore, nor any of the followers chiefly Chief Sogo Agboola. Today in a turn of events, loyalists of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola were docked in a case where the Minister’s loyalists are the complainants who had hoped to appeal what they called a fraud perpetrated by the warring factional APC camp loyal to the incumbent Governor Oyetola.
Inwalomhe Donald writes from Osogbo
