Aregbesola No Longer APC Member, Ex-Osun Commissioner Claims

The immediate-past Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Adebayo Adeleke, has said ex-Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, is currently not a member of the All Progressives Congress.

Adeleke served as a commissioner in the cabinet of the immediate-past governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, who is currently serving as the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.

The ex-commissioner spoke on Thursday at the Osun Central Senatorial meeting of the APC held in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

In a video clip of Adeleke remarks at the event obtained on Thursday, the APC chieftain said all serious members of the party in Osun were aware that Aregbesola was not currently a member of the party.

He said, “They said in our party in Osun, we have two former governors, we have Chief Bisi Akande and ex-governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

“Someone asked about ex-governor Rauf Aregbesola and my response is that all members of the APC know that Aregbesola presently is not a member of our party.”

Aregbesola, who served as Osun State Governor between November 27, 2010 and November 27, 2018, was succeeded by Oyetola, who contested and won 2018 governorship poll in the state on the platform of the APC, defeating Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party.

However, the relationship between Aregbesola and Oyetola went sour before the 2022 governorship poll, after the latter declared support for Mr. Moshood Adeoti, who served as Secretary to the State Government during his reign as governor.

Oyetola eventually lost the 2022 poll to Adeleke of the PDP, the development that deepened the crises between him and Aregbesola, and the discord has so far defied all solutions.

Speaking at the meeting attended by the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, and other party bigwigs from the 10 local government areas that make up the senatorial district, Adeleke insisted that the two ex-governors in Osun APC are Chief Bisi Akande and Oyetola.

When contacted for a reaction, Oluwaseun Abosede, who is the Organising and Publicity Secretary of Omoluabi Caucus, a group enjoying the support of ex-governor Aregbesola, declined reacting to Adeleke’s claims.