The immediate past spokesperson of the Senate, Dr Ajibola Basiru, has said the former Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola is no longer the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun state.
He maintained that former governors, Bisi Akande and Adegboyega Oyetola are the leaders that are staying with ‘genuine members’ of the party.
Giving the stewardship of his four years as representative of Osun Central at the 9th Senate to the people of his district and other APC members in Osogbo, Basiru said he did not know the party Aregbesola belongs presently, but he could only recognise the ex-interior minister as former leader.
Basiru, who served as Commissioner of Regional Integration and Special Duties as well as Commissioner for Justice under Aregbesola’s administration, disclosed how he wrote Aregbesola and warned him not to form a faction in the party but the former governor did not listen.
He said, “In March 2021, I sent a written memo to the former minister where I advised him that no matter what issue or grievance you have, as a leader of the party, you should not engage in fractionalization of the party. Before I got to Osogbo, they said Basiru is an opportunist and I never lobbied for any political appointment from anybody.
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, our leaders today are Chief Bisi Akande and Adegboyega Oyetola. I was at Eagle Square for the primary that brought President Bola Tinubu, ask them what role did they play? If you now refer to Asiwaju as your mentor and you did not play any role in your mentor to emerge, it is a moral question.
“Secondly, we had a governorship election in this state, they didn’t vote for the party. Senator Adeleke said, black and white, that they worked for him to emerge. Asiwaju contested the same day I contested, our former Minister was not around to vote. We had a House of Assembly election, and the same thing happened,” he added.
Asked why he did not get the support of Ataoja of Osogbo where he hailed from, the ex-legislator said Oba Jimoh Olanipekun has seized to be a monarch, saying that “he is an active and card-carrying member of the PDP.”
