Ismaeel Uthman
A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government of the State of Osun, Prince Babatunde Dansaki, has advised Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to reconcile with his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola before the July 16, 2022 governorship election.
According to Dansaki, reconciliation with Aregbesola is a task that must be achieved before election, charging the governor and other APC stakeholders in Osun not play to the gallery and allow opposition to win the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
Dansaki, in a statement exclusively made available to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is desperate to takeover the state, warning that APC must not approach the election with a divided house.
The APC stalwart said: “Aregbesola is my friend and political leader. Oyetola is my family, my uncle and political mentor, whose success I am committed to.
“I came to understand that it is the followers of the two leaders that are fanning the ember of discord between them. Those who are benefitting from the crisis see Aregbesola and Oyetola’s mutual relationship as threat to their ambitions. The two of them have no personnel grudge against each other.
“The set of people in The Osun Progressives (TOP) cannot be ignored. We must find means of reconciliation and not to play into gallery and allow opportunist “Ajobiewe” (dancer) to dance to the Governor’s office. PDP are very desperate to takeover Osun State.
“There are reasons to reelect Oyetola for second time, and going by his background, he is never a loser both in the business and political worlds.
“I would advise Mr Governor to take settlement with Aregbesola as a task that must be done before election.”
He said the crisis between Oyetola and Aregbesola is very serious than being overlooked for the success of the APC in the election, urging the Governor to be warry of hypocrites, who may be deceiving and misadvising him.
The APC stalwart, popularly known as JKO, said majority of the people who are sing praising the governor are paperweight politicians who lost their various units, ward or local government in the 2018 governorship election.
He said: “Those who are sing praising Mr Governor were losers at the last election; people that cannot deliver their domains and have not done anything to make correction among the people of their jurisdiction. They are the ones struggling to be state leaders of APC.”
Dansaki suggested that Oyetola can negotiate the deputy governorship seat and Osun East Senatorial District ticket of the APC with Aregbesola’s camp for reconciliation.
He said: “We can negotiate with office of Deputy Governor that has faded out in his home town and cannot deliver.
“Also, Osun East Senatorial District needs a very vibrant philanthropist to take over from PDP, not a one-time loser that remains loser in the hearth of his people for making no correction. So what made him lose last election is still there unaddressed and APC cannot afford to lose the senatorial district to opposition again.
“I don’t see what Osun APC lose if it negotiates and trade Office of Deputy Governor, Osun East Senatorial ticket and some Commissioners with TOP, for peace to rain, so that we can be winner takes all.”
