VAM News Update

A former factional Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, Oluwaseun Abosede, has alleged a plot by the immediate past governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, and some of his supporters, to suspend, the ex-Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola from the APC.

Abosede, the youth leader of the Aregbesola faction of the state executives of the party, led by Mr. Rasaq Salinsile during the ex-governor conflict with his successor in 2022, claimed that the party’s leadership in the state collected signatures from ward 8, Ilesa APC executives, where the ex-governor belongs. This claim was made in a statement obtained in Osogbo.

Beside Oyetola that was mentioned, Abosede, further said the plot to suspend Aregbesola involved a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly and a Senator, who both lost re-election.

Warning that attempt to suspend Aregbesola would have negative consequences, Abosede further said, having failed in previous attempts to blackmail him, those involved in the new move, might be trying to suspend him to stall the reconciliation between him and the President, Bola Tinubu.

The statement further read in parts, “A grand plot to suspend Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the immediate past Minister of Interior, from the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, has been uncovered.

“The plot is being orchestrated by ousted former governor Gboyega Oyetola and five of his loyalists, among who are a Senator and a former Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly who lost their re-election.

“Others involved in the grand plot are a young former commissioner for Works and Transport and former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs who are said to be the initiators of the suspension idea.

“We have it on high authority that the Ilesa Ward 8 executives of the APC, which is Aregbesola’s ward, were manipulated yesterday (Wednesday) to sign a blank sheet of paper on the false 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.”

But while reacting, Osun APC chairman, Mr. Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement obtained on Friday, described the allegations as frivolous, saying it was like a case of a sinner on the run, when no one chases after him.

Lawal also said, if all plan to suspend Aregbesola existed, the ex-governor and his loyalists should come to the open and justify their membership of APC, and they have been hobnobbing with the state governor, Ademola Adeleke.

The Osun State APC chairman also recalled that besides the fact that Aregbesola never voted during the last presidential election, National Assembly, and governorship elections, he added that the ex-Minister, never campaigned for APC candidates during the polls

He further said, “Assuming without conceding that there is a plot in place to effect the formal suspension of Aregbesola, the immediate-past interior minister should justify the potent reasons why himself and his co-travellers are qualified to retain the membership of the party that they have been working against its interest.

“It is apparent that with the suspension allegation, Aregbesola is flying a kite for a devilish plan he has in the offing for the party in Osun State. The Osun APC does not need to waste its time on Aregbesola and his co-travellers who had since deliberately suspended themselves from the party by walking out of it and abdicated their statutory responsibilities to the party.

“When last were Aregbesola and his Hallelujah men and women sighted at the ward, local, state, senatorial, state, and federal engagements of the party to justify their continuous loyalty and membership of the APC in Osun State?

“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 commissionership appointments for helping the APC governorship candidate, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, lose the Osun State election.”

(SOURCE: Punch, excluding headline)