Amidst the growing misconception about the cause of the political rift between President Bola Tinubu and his former associate, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, real reasons have emerged on what led to the frosty relationship between the duo.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that in the last few years, the over three-decade relationship between both parties has crashed, with the duo not working together for the 2022 governorship election in Osun and the 2023 general election.
While varied positions have been taken on the matter, many followers of President Tinubu have described Aregbesola as a traitor, betrayer and ingrate who worked against his benefactor for pecuniary gains. However, fresh facts on the matter have emerged.
In a rejoinder to Mayor Akinpelu’s article titled, “Rauf Aregbesola’s Perdify,” Sola Fasure, the ex-Interior minister’s media adviser explained that the perceived presidential ambition of the former Governor of Osun was at the root of the crisis.
Fasure stated that the duo’s relationship was mutual and beneficial politically, as they had contributed in one way or the other to their collective successes in the past.
The spokesperson to the former Governor added that Aregbesola’s mobilisation prowess was instrumental to the President’s electoral triumphs before, during and after his governorship in Lagos, one which merits his elevation and support to realise his ambition.
He argued that the decision to make the National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) irrelevant politically in Osun was premeditated by those who believed the former would truncate Tinubu’s chances of winning the election.
His words, “To be clear, the relationship between Aregbesola and Tinubu began in the ill-fated Third Republic when Tinubu just joined politics and wanted to contest the Lagos West Senatorial primary election of the SDP. He needed a pointsman in Alimoso and was directed to Rauf Aregbesola, who not only won the primary but the election itself for him.
“But the author, out of ignorance or mischief deliberately cut this off the narrative, portraying Aregbesola as a scruffy upstart in Lagos politics.
“Again, to be clear, Oyetola was not the basis of their disagreement, but he was a player. THE ISSUE BETWEEN TINUBU AND AREGBESOLA WAS THE PERCEPTION OF TINUBU THAT AREGBESOLA WOULD CONTEST THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AGAINST HIM. If you don’t understand this, sorry, you are at sea on the matter and except you probe deeper, you will sink deep into ignorance.
“Oyetola played well his role to reverse Aregbesola’s works in Osun and deny him the platform of the state. This is just as Tinubu also folded up the Lagos platform, ostensibly to deny him any political base for the purported presidential ambition.
“But labelling anyone perfidious on matters of political choice has no place in a democracy which guarantees freedom of choice.
“People who make this kind of accusation are those Soyinka said have slavery in their DNA. For them, if your path crossed with someone, you are permanently trapped in their shadow and must not move on in your life again. This is a slavish mentality.
“Their disagreement is political and certainly not moral. It’s in monarchy that everyone is required to support the king, not so in a democracy,” Fasure noted..
He also berated actions of political gladiators referring to the Tinubu/Aregebsola disagreement as betrayal, stressing that feuds in such realms are purely political and not moral.
“Anyone formerly associated with Tinubu and not on his train now is a betrayer. Fashola, Ambode, Osinbajo, Ojudu etc. It’s a familiar script, the same dossier they hand over to the commissioned writers on the matter. In the end, it becomes what Soyinka calls ‘transparent subterfuge,” Aregbesola’s spokesperson explained further.(Osun Defender)
