- Your political burial imminent, Osun APC fires former gov, others
- Don’t blame us for your failure, PDP knocks APC
The ruling People’s Democratic Party and major opposition party, All Progressives Congress in Osun State, have traded blames following APC’s huge loss of its members.
While the APC claimed that the ruling party was instrumental to the decision of a former governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola and his loyalists to quit the opposition party, PDP denied, warning the APC to desist from blaming it for its failure to retain its party bigwigs.
Ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state, Aregbesola and his followers who are members of a political organisation in the state, Omoluabi Progressives, made the decision to dump APC in a consensus vote, according to a statement issued by Abosede Oluwaseun, the Organising and Publicity Secretary of the group.
Oluwaseun said, “This was the consensus of stakeholders after a session ratifying the earlier resolution of members from the 332 wards of Osun at its monthly meeting in Ilesa on Sunday.”
He said, some of the reasons adduced for the resolution include ostracisation from the party, suspension and expulsion of the tendency’s leaders without fair hearing, and continuous denigration of the structure, among others.
The leadership of the APC in the state had in October last year, announced the suspension of Aregbesola, a former Minister of Interior and some other chieftains of the party who are loyal to him from the party.
Before Aregbesola’s suspension, APC had gone into a sacking spree, expelling scores of its members suspected to be having a soft spot for the former governor.
The internal wrangling of the APC worsened after it lost the 2022 governorship election in Osun.
The APC accused Aregbesola and his followers of ditching its gubernatorial candidate, Gboyega Oyetola who is now the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and pitching their tent with the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke.
The electoral loss suffered by the party deepened the feud between Oyetola and Aregbesola as the party insisted that the latter worked for Adeleke’s victory.
However, Oluwaseun disclosed that at the Aregbesola group’s January meeting, members expressed dissatisfaction with the management of Osun APC’s intra-party crisis which he said led to the party’s “abysmal loss” in the last election cycle, “a situation they consented has waned its strength and popularity among the people of Osun.”
“The members were put to a voice vote by the leadership of the fold where they affirmed their readiness to switch allegiance to another political camp ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state,” he added.
The statement disclosed that Aregbesola, while addressing members of the tendency, commended them for their commitment and steadfastness to the principles of character, integrity and good governance.
Aregbesola, while affirming the resolution, noted that it is time to work aggressively for the success of Omoluabi Progressives and its vision to entrench good governance in Osun.
He also assured that in no distant time, results of ongoing efforts by the leadership of the tendency to properly position it for the task ahead will materialise.
Aregbesola was quoted in the state as saying, “I am indeed happy that all of you have spoken with one voice. It is not just one voice but a united front to lead the way to our collective victory in the journey ahead.
“I wish to remind you that the journey we are embarking on now is to further raise the level of prosperity of our dear state through responsible leadership. The path we have toed is a smooth path, highly reassuring and full of good tides that will propel our dear state to greatness. Therefore, you must show more commitment and attract genuine people who are ready to walk this path of righteousness with us.
“We are open to all regardless of political, religious, or socio-cultural leanings. We have the numbers, strength, and political acumen to provide a leadership that will make Osun the toast of its peers. By the grace of God, we shall succeed.”
Your political burial imminent, Osun APC fires Aregbesola, others
Reacting to the development, Osun APC said it remains unperturbed over the exit of the political group backed by Aregbesola, labeling the group as “agents” of the ruling PDP.
Osun APC spokesman, Kola Olabisi, in a statement on Monday, said Aregbesola’s supporters actually quit the mainstream of the party in 2022 after allegedly ditching the party to support PDP.
Olabisi also remembered that a large number of the Omoluabi Progressives had been either expelled or suspended from the APC and described them as agents of the PDP who are in for other antics.
“The preposterous announcement of the so-called Omoluabi Progressives to quit the APC is a good riddance to bad rubbish.
“In the first instance, the kernel of the statement by the dissidents’ group amounted to a confused pack of rudderless politicians who were approbating and reprobating at the same time, as it is on record that a sizeable number of them have either been expelled or suspended from the party.
“How would any rational human being who has been suspended or expelled announce his resignation to the whole world again? Is that not an example of superfluity? We, in the Osun State APC, shall be happy to miss the political irritants and deviants who had since left the party by way of body and soul before the 2022 governorship election in the state.
“You cannot be saying you are in our party and be working against the interest of the same party. You are agents of the PDP in Osun State and you are still of service to the ruling party in the state. What we are seeing with hindsight is that the hand is proverbially that of Jacob while the voice is identifiable to Isau.
“We shall be ready for the antics of the political renegades.
“The ambulatory Omoluabi Progressives believe they are more progressive in Nigeria than the real progenitors of the progressives’ party having no respect for the elders and their political benefactors,” Olabisi said.
He insisted that the APC would not miss Aregbesola’s supporters, adding that they left after their efforts to destabilize and hijack the party failed.
He said, “Your recent announcement of either forming or joining another party is the imminent beginning of your political funeral, culminating in your final burial through the 2026 governorship election. More importantly, the blindfolded followers of the ill-fated Omoluabi Progressives will regret being part of this shenanigan.”
Noting that Osun APC is waxing stronger by the day, Olabisi, however, told handlers of the Omoluabi Progressive that “whoever wants to bury his elder brother nakedly should take along his younger brother to show the latter how he too would be buried at the end of his journey of life.”
But, in an exclusive interview with The Point on Monday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Osun PDP, Oladele Bamiji, blamed the APC for failing to manage its crisis, warning the leadership of the opposition party against associating their loss of members with the PDP.
Denying that the PDP was instrumental to Aregbesola’s group decision to quit APC, Bamiji said, “We should not take the blame as to the APC failure to deal with their issues in their party. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is not a small fry in the political field of Osun State and what we expect is that the party should be able to resolve whatever issue that emanates. They should not draw the attention of the watching members of the public to the PDP over their crisis.
“Everybody in Osun State knows the history of political migration and political participation in the state and I am not sure that in any case where the members of the Omoluabi Progressives caucus of the APC had told anyone that they are agents of the PDP or that they are working for the PDP. Those are not small fries that one will say they don’t know what they are doing. They may have their political cards kept close to their chests; it is not smart enough for the APC to be associating very big Babas and Mamas with the PDP.
“If they want to join the PDP, I am not sure whether these bigwigs are not mature or bold enough to tell everybody that they are going to the PDP. For now, it is not our business, it is not our fight. They are not PDP members but we know they are stakeholders in the affairs of Osun State, political differences notwithstanding. Like the former governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, he has contributed his quota to the development of the state no matter how anybody sees him; we cannot wish somebody like that away. He will always forever have followers, his faithful who believe in his ideals and styles of politics. There is nothing anybody can do about that.
“So, they are big enough to take their own destinies in their own hands. Summarily, the APC must not push their failures to the doorsteps of the ruling PDP in Osun. It is their failure to deal with their own internal wrangling and they should rather take responsibility for their failure and not look for scape-goats here and there.”
Mocking APC over its inability to handle its internal crisis, the PDP spokesperson said, “I think the opposition party, APC, has failed. It speaks volume about their disposition or lack of disposition to democratic values and tenets, which gives room for crisis resolution as we have in our own party. Like I said, you cannot do without a crisis here and there. The hallmark of a truly democratic political party is to deal with the issues, and resolve it as the case may be. In this while, the APC has failed.”
Bamiji described the decline in the numerical strength of the APC in the state as a plus to its chances in retaining governance beyond 2026.
He said the doors of the party are open to receive Aregbesola and his followers should they decide to join forces with Adeleke and the PDP.
Answering questions as to whether the PDP would welcome Aregbesola and members of his group, Bamiji stated that, “Like I said, they are stakeholders in the affairs of the state, politics is a game of numbers. As a political party, if anyone wants to join you, you will not chase them away. The essence of being in politics is to do good for the people and they say two good heads are better than one. So, if we now have people who are bringing something to the table, who want to join forces with us, there is no problem about that. We have other people joining us every day, so, if the Omoluabi Progressives say that their agenda is in PDP and they want to join us, they are welcome. But, for now, there is nothing on the table to suggest that they are joining us.”
Boasting of higher chances ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial polls, he averred, “I really pity them (APC) because politics is a game of numbers. These are not the best of days for the opposition party in Osun. Their members are leaving in droves and they have been joining us. So, yes, it is certainly a plus for us. PDP is not just a party, we are now a people’s movement in Osun State, people want rapid development for this state, and they have seen the PDP as the only vehicle and centre point of attraction.”
Over 100,000 of us left APC but we won’t join PDP – Aregbesola’s group
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Point, the Organising and Publicity Secretary of Omoluabi Progressives, Abosede Oluwaseun, disclosed that over 100,000 members of the group left the APC.
He, however, said the political organisation would not join the PDP, adding that the political platform that it would move to would be known in a few days’ time.
“The registered members of Omoluabi Progressives, those who have identified with us, are around 100,000 now across the 332 wards in Osun State. These are people that have come out to register their names. It does not include our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters that are in the rural areas that are not opportune to come out physically to register. We are not counting all those ones. We are talking of able-bodied men, women, civil servants, artisans, professional bodies that have identified with us physically and online, they are around 100,000 now in our database.
“The number does not include our well-wishers, our friends, I have friends who did not register with us but they are ready to vote for us at any time. We have wives, we have children and we have friends,” he explained after The Point sought to know the numerical strength of the group.
Oluwaseun suggested that the APC may experience another defeat in the forthcoming governorship election with the tendency’s exit, saying, “The last time we didn’t participate fully in the electioneering process, you saw what happened, it led to the loss of APC. As it is now, they said they are not interested in being with us, we have moved. I wish them what they wish for themselves.”
When asked whether the group is now shopping for another political party to pitch a tent with, he said, “No, it doesn’t work like that, before we moved, we had done all our assignments and we are at the verge of making our declarations. The first thing is that we have made the world know that we have severed our relationship with the APC. In two to three days from now, we will be coming out to the whole world to know our next political bus-stop.
“Officially, we are no longer with the APC; we are dotting the Is and crossing the Ts. But, definitely, not the PDP, as against what people are circulating. We know our worth. A lot of political parties have warned us, credit to PDP as well, they know our values and our worth, and they wish that we are their members. But, unfortunately, it is what it is. As it is now, we have our own ideas, we have our own ways, vision and how government should be run. So, we are not joining forces with PDP. But, very soon, we will come out to tell everybody where we are going.”
The Chairman of Omoluabi Progressives, Azeez Adesiji said with the resolve of members to align with a novel political platform, efforts should not be spared to reorientate them on the ethos of true progressivism, which is the hallmark of the group.
The former council boss, who commended their cooperation in the last 17 months of the existence of the tendency, pledged to continuously provide a leadership that protects the interests of members.
“I am happy that meetings are going on across all local government areas of the state, with remarkable progress achieved. Reports about turnout and new membership have so far been impressive. Let us continue in this stead.
“For us, the journey to reclaim Osun is a joint task. Be assured that we are ready to always accommodate your interests. What we want from you is your commitment to our ideals so that we can join hands together to restore Osun to good governance in 2026,” the chairman said.
Ex-governor bows out of APC after struggle to control party failed
From The Osun Progressives, a faction of APC, to Omoluabi Progressives, Aregbesola tendency had struggled to control APC and rebuild it since December, 2022 after the party’s electoral loss but it failed.
After TOP was dissolved, Omoluabi Progressives emerged with the purpose of correcting wrongs and rejuvenating the party for victory.
One of the foremost leaders of the group, Najeem Salaam, a former speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly had made the announcement and also extended a hand of friendship to all genuine progressives for an all-inclusive meeting for the rebuilding of the party within weeks.
Apparently, the mainstream APC, controlled by Oyetola did not give Aregbesola’s tendency any chance as the move for peace was greeted with explosion and suspension.
The Point gathered that Aregbesola group may disclose a party it would be joining before the February 22 local government elections in the state.
