Ismaeel Uthman
THE internal crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the State of Osun is yet to be settled, findings have revealed.
OSUN DEFENDER noted that former governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s camp known as IleriOluwa and loyalists of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, are yet to close ranks a week to the general elections.
This is happening in spite of the dissolution of The Osun Progressives (TOP), a group populated by Aregbesola’s loyalists in December 2022.
Findings revealed that while some of the National and House of Assembly candidates of the APC are reaching out to members of the defunct TOP individually, the APC leadership has not made moves to integrate Aregbesola’s loyalists into the party.
According to investigations, the leadership of the party has not also reached out to the former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, as of the time of filing this report yesterday.
The medium noted that comments and reactions of younger members of both IleriOluwa and defunct TOP camps on the January 27 tribunal judgement exposed the yet-to-be resolved differences among leaders of the party.
“There is still this sharp division within the party, and I am afraid it is not going to end soon”, said an APC chieftain who craved anonymity.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER in a telephone interview yesterday, the Chairman of defunct TOP, Rev’d. Lowo Adebiyi claimed that nothing much has changed since the dissolution of the group, noting that Aregbesola and his loyalists were still being treated as outcast by the leadership of the party.
Adebiyi noted that APC leadership in the state has not been relating with Aregbesola’s tendency before and after The Osun Progressives was dissolved.
“Ever since we dissolved TOP, the party has not reached out to our tendency, not to talk of initiating any integration process. There has not been any meeting between the leadership of the party and our tendency since we dissolved TOP in December 6, 2022 till now.
“The party did not invite us to anything, including the campaign activities for the presidential candidate pf the party. Some few weeks back, I was called by somebody who informed me that my name had been added to the Presidential Campaign Council in Osun. That is the only thing I know about that, nothing more since then.
“What are we even talking about? The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, was not even included in the campaign team, not to talk of inviting him to participate in any of the party’s activities.
“TOP was dissolved to create platform for genuine reconciliation, with the hope that the leadership of the party will embrace the positive move and begin politics of inclusiveness, but that is not happening. The party is not relating with us at all.”
Reacting, the Director of Media of the APC, Chief Kola Olabisi, dismissed the report that the party is approaching election with a divided house.
According to Olabisi, Osun APC is a united house and everybody is being carried along in the party programmes.
He said: “Everybody saw the dissolution of TOP as a welcome development. But the party at the State level said anybody returning to the mainstream of the party should go back to his/her ward.
“There is no question of not carrying anybody along. Everyone is welcome. Politics is a game of numbers. There is only one party Secretariat in Osun and anyone who is a member should approach the Secretariat. Nobody will turn them back.
“I didn’t agree that APC is approaching the election with divided house because the party is one in Osun. There was never a time APC was divided in the state.
“Whoever claim he is not being carried along should show up at the party secretariat or ward meeting.”
