IN about 72 hours, members of the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State will file out to pick the standard-bearer of the party for the July governorship poll in the state.
The exercise is coming amidst anxiety and apprehension across board following a protracted leadership tussle with two camps battling for soul of the party in the state. Until recently, the battle had been carried out through fronts or proxies as the main power brokers played a seeming hide and seek.
But the recent decision of the Minister of Interior and immediate past governor of the State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, to confirm his sympathy for the faction called TOP drifted the conflict towards an open confrontation.
Even, a former national chairman of the APC and former governor of Osun, Chief Bisi Akande, who is hamstrung in interceding in the supremacy tussle, being a father figure to the three gladiators, is said to be unhappy with the prevailing scenario. The supremacy battle dates back to the choice of candidate for the APC in 2014 as Aregbesola was reportedly not favourably disposed to the bid of Oyetola to succeed him.
A number of other members of the then cabinet were said to have aligned with Aregbesola against Oyetola to include the then Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti who enjoyed the support of the APC national leader, Bola Tinubu.
The stance of Aregbesola was that Oyetola hails from the same senatorial zones that produced chief Bisi Akande and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinola as governors in the past.
The frosty relationship continued even after the APC had been declared winner of the election with Aregebesola pushing that his successor, Oyetola, retains most members of the outgoing cabinet.
Notwithstanding, the Aregbesola camp got key appointments, including the post of Chief Of Staff and Secretary to the State Government.
The hide and seek among the APC stakeholders continued after the inauguration of the new administration, with Aregbesola alleging that his camp was not being carried along in the scheme of things.
Among others, the decision of the government to ratify the recommendation of a committee set up over the reclassification of schools became an issue, while the government tried to resolve the crisis over salary arrears of civil servants and state debts that led to zero federal allocation at a particular stage.
The choice of a minister from the state further widened the gulf among the leaders, including Senator Tinubu.
The Aregbesola camp alleged that Aregbesola’s name was not included in the list of nominees for ministerial appointments from the state, but that President Muhammadu Buhari singlehandedly listed Aregbesola for the appointment.
One factor said to have exacerbated the frosty relationship between Tinubu and Aregbesola was what a source described as insinuations that Aregbesola might be eyeing a higher elective office in the next dispensation.
Some of their sympathisers were accused of being the brains behind the insinuations that the minister was increasingly becoming close to the establishment at the centre.
Battle for ticket
In the last few weeks, Governor Gboyega Oyetola has toured the senatorial zones in the state to appreciate the people for supporting his government and to declare his intention to seek re-election.
The governor is seeking the party’s ticket. Similarly, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSS), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who is among the arrowheads of the TOP caucus loyal to the minister, has also obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the governorship race.
But the incident that occurred on Monday in Osogbo, the state capital, exposed the yawning gap among the principal actors in the Osun APC feud. Aregbesola allegedly narrowly escaped being killed following an attack by suspected armed thugs.
They reportedly launched a fierce attack on his convoy while he was raising his head out of the open-roof vehicle to wave at his supporters in the town.
He was said to have been rescued by his security men who shot sporadically into the air to resist the attackers. The incident caused pandemonium, as people around Orisunbare market- Old-garage area of the town around 7.00.pm scampered for safety.
Sporadic shooting rent the air for about 20 minutes and many motorists abandoned their vehicles on the roads while traders quickly shut their shops for the fear of being attacked by the hoodlums.
Meanwhile, an enraged Aregbesola threatened that Governor Oyetola could as well forget his bid when he addressed party faithful for about 21 minutes in the state ahead of the APC primary.
The minister, who spoke in Yoruba, subtly attacked Tinubu, especially over his overwhelming influence in Lagos politics.
The minister said: “It is possible some share your ideals and it’s also possible some do not. This happened in Lagos recently. There was a governor who wanted to seek re-election and the party declined and showed him the way out with their votes. So, the same way it was in Lagos then, is exactly the way it is in Osun today. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. It cannot be the turn of your younger brother now and you change the rules.”
He said that moles were likely to be among the gathering but observed that “we’re no longer afraid of no one at this stage except God. You’re at liberty to listen to whatever we say here and go share with them over there.”
Aregbesola added: “There’s no latter-day member here. Everyone here started with us from day one. Even if some had left at some point, we knew why they left. There’s no one here who did not suffer with us. That’s the summary of my submission; that they have returned to where they’ve always belonged, and to also return the party to where it should be, because we had hitherto followed the instructions of our leader, whom we thought was true to type. We followed and served this leader with all our might. In fact, our loyalty to him had caused some people to start wondering if we were no longer Muslims.
“But we were with him and served him according to the admonition of our forefathers, who said when serving anyone, we should do so with sincerity and loyalty; that if you regard anyone as your principal, you must serve him wholeheartedly.
“Sadly, we didn’t know that while we wished him well, he didn’t think well of us. However, because we placed him higher than where he ordinarily should be, he started to think he is our god.
“Unfortunately for him, we had sworn to God that whoever compares himself to him, we’d beg Him to bring down such a fellow.
“God says he does not have a rival, and if you heard what I said in Arabic, God said, ‘He is God and he didn’t have to start procreating before He could assume His place as God; that only humans procreate. You are the ones who attach importance to procreation. As God, He doesn’t need a child to dwell in His glory. He does not need any family member or younger siblings to regale in His majesty. He does not even need a group to be who He is. He is God and that’s who He is.
“So, whoever puts himself in place of God, well, let him be his own god. With suffering, pains and perseverance, we nurtured this party to the stage it is – with sweat, tears, blood and even lost lives. It is by God’s grace that someone like me didn’t pay the supreme price too. May those who lost their lives to the struggle find peace with the Lord. (He mentioned names of some of those who died). As tough as it was, we did not seek revenge.
“We took over government on November 27, 2010 and by 28th, we announced that whoever sought revenge would be struck down by God. We only handed over to God, those who made us suffer. After we served for eight years, it wasn’t only party members that benefitted from our administration, the entire state did. I went everywhere in Osun with projects.
“However, by the time my successor was handed over to me around May or July 2018, I was told, ‘Rauf, this is the ideal successor that would stand by you. He would further showcase your efforts. He would not betray you; he would not dim the light of your glory’. That was what the person, who handed him over to me said. If the person is listening to me, it would resonate with him, if he said so or not. But, did he do as he was vouched for? And when he reneged on these promises, did the person, who handed him over to me draw his attention to these failings? “Anyway, isn’t the person the one we now see today,” the minister asked rhetorically.
No doubt, the primary of the party coming up on Saturday will crucially determine what becomes of the Osun APC in days to come. It could mark the beginning of a new dawn or otherwise for the party. Time will tell.
(Nigerian Tribune)
