Aregbesola and his macabre dance, By Kola Amzat

Ordinarily, the ex-governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola presently supposed to be in charge and full control of some key segments in Aso Villa, collaborating with the president to run the affairs of the country.

But this phase seems dead, as the center could no longer hold between him and the iconic & illustrious ex-Lagos state governor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

And, it’s important that he must bring himself into the consciousness, as well as in full realization of this unwholesome circumstance, before further subjecting himself to public ridicule, scorn and opprobrium.

There exists no doubt that the power-loving immediate past Minister of Interior have had his wonderful and swelling times in the political offices.

Through sheer Tinubu’s benevolence, he became a super Commissioner for 8 solid years, while the president was in charge of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007.

Thereafter, he ascended the office of governor of Osun State after more than 2 years titanic legal battle with opposition party that earlier stole his mandate. He superintended the governance of the state for another solid 8 years.

While taking charge in the state, he was simultaneously given a rare privilege of been in absolute control of Alimosho Local Government Council, a vast Lagos political haven and a key political bloc of the progressive party in Lagos. 

In all these, Tinubu remained his major benefactor, staking his vast political bloc, providing funding, logistics and every other assistance needed for such gargantuan projects.

Then entered his political miscalculation and debacle! In the twilight of his tenure as governor of Osun state after his 2 term, the party implored and advised him to facilitate the emergence of his then Chief of Staff, Gboyega Oyetola as his successor.

The party muted this idea following the incredible contributions, loyalty, commitment and resourcefulness of the Oyetola to the success of his administration throughout their tenure. Aregbesola bluntly refused this entreaty.

Not to be taken aback and essentially the need to enforce internal democracy, the party moved beyond him, got Oyetola elected as the flag bearer, as well as mobilized and canvassed support of the people of the state for him to emerge as the then next state governor.

Notwithstanding his uncompromising stance to the party directive, THE party hierarchy and South West political bloc still facilitated his appointment at the federal level, as the ex-governor got appointed as Minister of Interior under immediate past president, the office he held for another eight (8) years.

Meanwhile, his emergence as Minister provided him ample opportunity to start romancing and plotting against the political bloc that sponsored him, as well as the then Tinubu’s presidential project.

It’s in the public domain that the ex-governor was fingered in all the attempts by the then Aso Villa cabal to frustrate and truncate the emergence of Tinubu as president.

With the new president’s consciousness of several clandestine moves of Aregbesola and his cohorts to unhorse and undo him while gunning for the topmost office, would it not have been foolhardy of him to continue maintaining affinity and relationship with a deadly and un-loyal ally and associate?

Also compounding Aregbesola problem was his travails in the hands of the incumbent governor of the state, who recently through express mandate to the State House of Assembly leadership facilitated the collapse of all legacies that the former Minister passionately and studiously labored to bequeath on the state during his 8 years tenure in office as governor.

It’s that height of frustration that perhaps fueled and encouraged his desire to attempting to severe whatever alliance and pact he might have had with Governor Adeleke, to start forming a parallel APC group in the state believing he could re-emerge as leader of the party and the progressive bloc in the state.

But, as an accomplished political player with decades of party politics experience, it’s foolhardy of Aregbesola to pretend not to be conscious of the fact that Gboyega Oyetola as the new Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the state is now the authentic leader of the party, with whom the bucks stop on his table as far as all the issues that concern the affairs of the party in the state.

His case is even made worse by the emergence of Bashiru Ajibola, a very close ally and confidant of the new Minister, and of Osun descent as National Secretary of the party.

Technically, the ex-governor fondly called Oranmiyan is sandwiched between two layers of authority that he doesn’t have any choice than to submit if he still desire membership of the party. 

The pertinent question is: where would Aregbesola proceeds from here?

His best bet henceforth is to learn to accept the present reality, get himself prepared to align with the party’s norms, traditions and procedures, and stop this macabre dance that would lead him to nowhere absolutely.     

Kola AMZAT (FCA, FCIB)

LAGOS BASED FINANCIAL CONSULTANT,

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