THREAT TO AREGBESOLA AND OSUN 2026 ELECTION
The former Adegboyega Oyetola administration viewed his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola as an opposition. The act alone justifies hypocrisy and labelling people as ingrates.” I am not surprise about the attitude of IleriOluwa faction of the All Progressives Congress who has threatened Rauf AREGBESOLA the immediate past minister of interior. The IleriOluwa faction of the All Progressives Congress boasted in 2022 Osun election that they can win the election without the support of Rauf Aregbesola but later made turn around to blame Aregbesola for the defeat of Oyetola. There are several allegations against IleriOluwa faction of the All Progressives Congress who have been accused of arrogating the authority of Mr President to former Governor Oyetola in Osun State. The Oyetola’s group has been hypocritical by blaming Governor Adeleke for his inability and failure to alleviate poverty and ameliorate people’s suffering that is affecting the 36 states in Nigeria. Former Governor Oyetola and his IleriOluwa faction of the All Progressives Congress have arrogated to themselves the authority of Mr President to threaten Rauf Aregbesola and others over Osun 2026 election. This was the same attitude former Governor Oyetola exhibited against Aregbesola and took him as leading opposition leader which led to the defeat of Oyetola in Osun 2022 election.
The former Governor of Osun, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, and some of his loyalists have resorted to threatening the life of the immediate past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, over his recent political activities in Osun. Oyetola contributed to the demise of APC in the state by placing IleriOluwa people above the party; they were discriminating and segregating. The segregation in the Oyetola administration has not been heard in the progressive fold. That does not mean Oyetola cannot come back as the candidate of the party, but that is not what we need as this time.
Speaking through his spokesperson, Ismail Omipidan, in an article circulated on Friday, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy threatened that Mr. Aregbesola would be unable to withstand the onslaught regarding his recent political activities in the state.
Oyetola said some members of the IleriOluwa faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, will “square up with Aregbesola when the time comes.”
His words, “But one thing Aregbesola must know is that an average Osun APC faithful only appears to be waiting for the appropriate time to square up with him. When the time comes, the former governor may not be able to withstand the onslaught,” Oyetola fumed.
SOME former local government chairmen who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State have adopted the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, as the sole candidate of the party for the 2026 governorship election. The ex-chairmen who are members of Tobalase group, a caucus within the 2018-2021 local government council chairmen, also declared Oyetola as the leader of the APC in the state.
In many ways, Oyetola prepared the stage for his own loss. He made some critical mistakes that pitched the people, supporters, and particularly his predecessor, former Governor Rauf Aregbesola against him, and led them to align with the mission of the opposition. Here’s where it all went wrong:
On February 14, 2022, Aregbesola was attacked by some gunmen allegedly sponsored by the Oyetola-led government at the Old Garage area of Osogbo, while returning from a political event, in Ilesa.
On February 3, 2022, some armed political hoodlums suspected to have been sponsored by the Oyetola-led IleriOluwa faction of the APC, attacked Oranmiyan House in Osogbo and shot directly into the building during a meeting of members of the defunct The Osun Progressives (TOP).
There have been a series of attacks against Aregbesola and his aides since 2022 from the camp of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, with the latest of the threats coming from Oyetola through his spokesperson.
By Inwalomhe Donald
