- Current crisis may jeopardise ruling Party’s chances come July 16
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – With about six months to the 2022 Osun State governorship election, the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) in the state is racing against time to put its house in order for the onerous task of retaining the Government House come July this year.
Leading gladiators in the crisis rocking the party are incumbent Governor Gboyega Oyetola and his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who is the current Minister of Interior.
According to political pundits, there is no love lost between the two former allies with Aregbesola coming out publicly on Friday to identify with a faction opposed to the mainstream APC that is backing Governor Oyetola in the state.
Consequently, insiders are already betting that the stage is now set for a battle royale ahead of the party’s primaries to pick its candidate for the July 16, 2022, gubernatorial poll in the state.
The Minister, who was in Osun State for the inauguration of a Digital Nigeria Centre (DNC) at the Muslim Grammar School, Ilesa, admitted to journalists that all is not well with the ruling party as there are two factions currently operating in the State nicknamed Land of Virtue (formerly State of the Living Spring)
He confirmed his membership of the factional ‘The Osun Progressive” (TOP), which is led by a former state Chairman of the party, Mr Lowo Adebiyi with Abdulrasak Salensile as its current Chairman.
Bragging about his political structure being quite formidable in the South West State, Ogbeni Aregbesola said; “The APC is sharply divided in Osun and I belong to the TOP. I am TOP inside out. Salensile is our party chairman, that’s my own chairman.
“Everybody is doing their own but when it is time, we will reshape the party. My administration spent eight years in government in this state and there was never a problem in our party. There was never acrimony among members in our party.”
“The security situation in the state did not have any challenge under my watch. Anyway, when the time comes, the party will be reshaped,” the Minister said.
