The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola publicly declared to associates and followers that he is responsible for the chaos in Osun state All Progressives Congress (APC), and that he is the brain behind the factional APC in the state which he claims belongs to him.
He made the claim in a video that went viral in the social media on Friday.
Following from this, a group of concerned All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Osun State on Friday called for the expulsion of Interior Minister, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, from the party.
The group named Eagle-eyed Progressives of Osun (EPO), alleged that Aregbesola, also a two-term former governor of the state, had been hobnobbing with opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
EPO in a statement by its President, Comrade Israel Ayanniyi, and Secretary, Mr. Abibu Kolawole, stated that no true member of the APC would come to the open to castigate a leader of the party who is a sitting governor and is seeking for a second second term in few months time.
“We have been shouting before now that Aregbesola is long gone from the APC. And that it is only his body that is in the APC while his soul is with the PDP.
“We heard on good authority that the Osun PDP members threw a wild party in Osogbo last night, to jubilate over the inflammatory remarks made by Aregbesola in Ilesha.
“There is no party that is devoid of internal disagreements but it is unethical to exhibit your differences to the joy of the opposition,” the group condemned.
It urged president Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the minister and the APC leadership to also expelled him, saying “we can’t keep a burning fire on the rooftop and sleep off or keep a snake as bedmate.”
The EPO particularly remarked that Aregbesola’s “determined war against Governor Gboyega Oyetola is deliberate”, adding that the minister is Man Friday for opposition PDP.
Aregbesola was seen in an online video that had gone viral standing while addressing his supporters and making disparaging and divisive statements about APC in Osun State.
In the viral video, he publicly declared on Friday that he was with the Rasaq Salinsile-led faction of the APC in the state.
The Minister of Interior, while addressing his supporters at the public gathering, said there was no point hiding the fact that Osun APC had been divided into two factions.
Aregbesola who spoke in the Yoruba language, also disclosed that during his two terms of tenure as Governor in the state, there was no security breach that threatened the state safety, saying the feat was achieved due to extraordinary efforts to keep the state safe.
“For those in doubt, Osun APC is divided. We have APC, Rauf Aregbesola’s faction which is chaired by Hon Razaq Salinsile and the other. Everybody is doing his or her own, later, we will renegotiate, we will rearrange everything. The caucus that produced our faction is called The Osun Progressives (TOP) chaired by Elder Lowo Adebiyi.
Those people who are doubting whether I am part of TOP or not should listen up, I belong to TOP wholeheartedly.
“I am happy that the Commissioner of Police is here. There is a lot of lies that are flying around, I steered the affairs of this state for eight years when I was there, you can check your record, there was no trouble, we do the job with the whole of our body to record the feat for 8 years. I use to sleep for 2 to 3 hours every day. I did not only do the job with my heart but my whole body,” said the Minister.
He urged the Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, to “remain objective” in the critical period in the state for the force to achieve success.
“I am a son of the soil, we cannot work to scuttle the state. My parents are from this state. If the police follow the dictate of their job without being biased, they will record success,” he said.
