Party Restructuring: Oyetola, Loyalists In Dilemma Over Aregbesola’s Involvement

– Oyetola Worried Over Show In General Elections

Sodiq Yusuf 

There is confusion in the IleriOluwa camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun on the path to toe for the restructuring of the party.

Members of the IleriOluwa camp, led by former governor Adegboyega Oyetola are reportedly divided on how to manage the affairs of the party, following the poor outing of the party during the last general elections.

Oyetola, OSUN DEFENDER learnt, has been scolding some of his loyalists who mismanaged the party members while in government led him to take some decisions that came back to hunt the party during the just concluded general elections.

It was gathered that the former governor was not happy with the outcome of the House of Assembly election, a development that reportedly forced him to chide some of his loyalists who had misguided him and collected huge amount of money for the prosecution of the election.

The former governor is disposed to the restructuring the party now, one of his loyalists told our reporter.

READ: This Is Your State, Nobody Can Chase You Away – Adeleke Tells Aregbesola

Core Progressives Seek Aregbesola’s Involvement – Sources

Sources told this medium that some keen supporters of the former governor are favourably disposed to involving the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the process of rebuilding the party.

A member of the state working committee of the party who confided in the medium stated that it is the resolve of some stakeholders that Aregbesola takes charge, to clear the current mess of the party and strengthen it ahead of the next elections in 2026.

The party chieftain who craved anonymity is of the opinion that if the Minister could be recalled to Lagos to work for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s re-election which materialised in the success of the March 18 governorship election, he should also be allowed to reposition the APC in Osun.

According to him, Oyetola’s body language suggested that he would need a directive from the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on whether to involve Aregbesola or not in the restructuring process.

He said: “As I speak to you, majority of our stakeholders want Ogbeni to come back. When there were issues in Lagos, he was the one who waded in and assisted to mend fences. The mismanagement of the crisis in the party cost us the governorship election last year. We cannot afford to lose again.

“See how we lost woefully in the last Presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly election. Our party would not have been that defeated if there was unity and genuine reconciliation. That is what we need now. The former Governor cannot hold the party together again and it is obvious that even his men cannot do anything more to unite our people. Those in PDP will return if Ogbeni takes charge. He knows what to do and who to talk to.”

However, some of the appointees of former governor Oyetola who are holding sway for their principal on the control of the party structure in the state, according to sources, do not want Aregbesola to return.

Why Oyetola’s Loyalists Are Against Aregbesola’s Return

Sources in the Ilerioluwa camp told OSUN DEFENDER that members of Oyetola’s kitchen cabinet who currently are in-charge of the tendency are afraid that Aregbesola’s involvement in rebuilding the party would weigh down their influence or push them to the back seat.

A member of the Oyetola’s cabinet said: “Some of the immediate past cabinet members especially people like Sunday Akere, Adebayo Adeleke Banik, Moshadek, Remi Omowaiye and co do not want Aregbesola and his men back to the APC. They are afraid. Their leadership could not yield results for the party. Yet, they want to continue to mismanage the party.

“They are doing everything possible to frustrate a genuine reconciliation. If the party is united and in the hands of the Minister, they would not have anything to hold on to again. They want Oyetola to remain leader so they can continue to dictate things.

These people are behind the plan to suspend dissolved TOP members and other people who hold contrary view to theirs. We are all loyalist of oga (Oyetola) but the time to speak the truth is now. We cannot continue to pretend as if what these people are doing is ok by us. No.

“Unfortunately, some of these people met us in the progressive party. Akere who is now dictating pace in the party left in 2018; he worked against Oyetola and APC in the 2018 governorship election, when some of us were in the bush campaigning for the party.

“Let me tell you the truth, oga (Oyetola) is not planning to suspend anybody. He is genuinely committed to rebuild the party. It is these people that are planning to suspend Aregbesola’s loyalists and other people.”

It was however gathered that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is threading with caution on the suspension of party members for alleged anti-party activities in the last major elections.

The party, led by the Acting Chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal declared that any suspension of its members carried out by any organ of the party so far is a nullity and should be disregarded.

Alhaji Kamoru Alao, the party’s Secretary in Osun, urged members and leaders of the party to exercise restraint in their quest to suspend members who allegedly engaged in anti-party activities during last general elections.

According to Alao, stakeholders of the party had resolved that any issue bordering on the review of the activities and strengthening of the party before, during and after the last elections would be handled by the 11-member committee drawn from each of the nine federal constituencies across the state.

The decision, political analysts believe is in a bid to forestall further crisis, and paving a way for solution to the unending situation.