Finally, Rauf Aregbesola Moves On
- By Fola Ojo
In 2010, when he became governor of Osun State, the name Rauf Aregbesola didn’t sound familiar to many of us who’d been out of Nigeria for a while. From different sources, my ears were filled with both sweet and sour stories flying around town about the man when he was governor from 2010-2018. In 2013, I went to verify the stories before riding alongside others on the vilifying train, throttled by strangers on social media.
What I saw in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State and surrounding towns in the spiralling asphalted roads, in the big bridges, the torn-down and towered-back-up high school buildings that stood in classic comparison with those in some US cities, made my heart throb in joy, after all, Osun is my state. In the aftermath of my fact-finding sojourn and by fortuitous arrangement, I met the governor one-on-one in the place he called home. Our friendship grew from there.
When I read in the news that the former governor was dumping the ruling party for the coalition political assemblage, I was not surprised. I knew the relationship between him and his political mentor, President Bola Tinubu, was frosty. But I had to contact him to confirm the controversy in the news. That was when he told me that an announcement was coming regarding his next political move. And a few days ago, the buzz was across the media space that the former governor will be teaming up with other politicians from across the nation to position the African Democratic Congress in a contest that promises to be fierce and furious against the incumbent President Tinubu, in the 2027 presidential election. Now, we have the first stage of the revealing. Aregbesola was nominated as the interim secretary of the new opposition party. My friends, I am certain that there is much more to come in the near future.
I got to know the former governor much more in 2014 during his reelection as the Osun governor. We never agreed on all issues, but his mindset on fairness, justice, man’s inhumanity to man, and nation-building caught my attention. During our many discussions, the former minister told me a bit about his relationship with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is now the president of Nigeria. He spoke loftily about this president with much reverence and deference.
“Fola, emi l’oga ooo.” (I have a boss), he said several times. What he meant was that whatever Asiwaju said to him to do was the final. This is often the thinking of a man who is loyal and committed to a cause and a friend. Unfortunately, that season of friendship may have come to an end, at least for now. Aregbesola is now a member of another political party, where he is pursuing his own political destiny after it became obvious that a détente between the two brothers was a mission impossible.
But what happened between these two progressive personalities, whose close relationship dates back decades? Aregbesola will not deny the role that Tinubu has played in his political life. And I heard that the President believes that his friend has added value to his political life as well. The benefits, we heard, have been mutual. So, what happened?
The swirling furore apparently began when Asiwaju backed Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, his blood relative, as successor to Aregbesola in Osun. The former governor cautioned against possible public perception of nepotism and highhandedness. Those warnings apparently didn’t carry too much weight. Tinubu rarely misses when he picks candidates for certain offices and assignments. The man has a nose for high-achieving people. It’s in his DNA. Oyetola eventually became governor in 2018 in a controversial rerun.
The fiery feud between Oyetola and Aregbesola originated from Bourdillon and spiralled down the Lagos-Ibadan expressway to Osogbo. The cause of their rift is politics and power play that got personal. Suddenly, Rauf, one of the few Godzilla of grassroots politics in the entire South-West, became a plague Oyetola didn’t want to touch with a 10 -foot pole.
In 2022, Oyetola’s political train was derailed. He lost the election. And the feud was a great factor. Aregbesola ’s relationship with Tinubu immediately went south and sour afterwards. Serious efforts were made at a truce. Late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeyemi, was the arrowhead who tried to rebuild the battered bridge between the two brothers. But the cold hands of death snatched him at old age. I heard that there were other Yoruba elders who took a swing at resolving the misunderstanding. I heard that the former Osun governor stretched out his hands to Mr President to settle the rift. For almost two years, he has apologised publicly and privately for whatever human error may have triggered. But the party he helped build in the state expelled him. I also heard that Mr President misses his friend, too. I heard that in their close circles, he wondered what the former Minister was angry about at this time in history.
The irony of this whole story is that Tinubu’s avowed enemies are now serving in his government. Men who told false stories about him, who made up tales about some illegal odysseys he allegedly engaged in, who said he never graduated from any school abroad and that he falsified his records, sleep and wake up with him every day because their sins have been forgiven. Those who called Mr President ugly names are in the same villa working for him. And these people never swallowed their words nor apologised for the foul words spewed against Mr President. If the sins of these fellas can be forgiven, what is dragging this feud on between Mr President and Aregbesola? And till today, the two have neither spoken nor seen face-to-face. My friends, when dealing with politicians anywhere, do so with a long spoon. Politicians are behind this feud, for whatever reason.
Finally, Rauf Aregbesola has moved on. The former minister is the interim secretary of the political party ADC. He is tough, strong, energetic and vibrant and a custodian of brain and brawn. As for Tinubu, the sitting president may be ageing, but the neurotransmitter in his brain fires without fail. His unusual intelligence is his strength; his boldness to do what others have no guts to do as president has no presidential comparison. What a great combination of ideas and meshing of minds this would have been if the two who have worked together for decades and achieved so much in their individual political spaces had looked beyond the feud and animus and closed ranks pro bono publico.
I hope that the strained fences between the former governor and the President could have been mended before now. But it was not. I am certain that someday it will be. I wish Aregbesola’s relationship with Tinubu had remained cordial. I wish Rauf didn’t have to bunch up with others to run against this president. These are just my wishes. But I understand Aregbesola’s thinking. He is 68 years old! He still has a lot to offer. Time may be running out. I wish both of them well.
- Ojo can be reached at X-@Folaojotweet
The opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the author. It does not represent the editorial position or opinion of OSUN DEFENDER.
