BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The immediate past spokesperson for the Nigerian Senate, Ajibola Basiru, has declared that a former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, is no longer recognised as a member of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
Basiru, who represented Osun Central Senatorial District in the 9th Senate, made this known on Wednesday while delivering his scorecard to his constituents, chieftains and members of the APC at his campaign office in Osogbo.
Fielding questions from journalists, Basiru said Aregbesola’s alleged absence in the state during the 2023 general elections and his lack of support for the party’s candidates were enough to question his membership of the party.
He said, “I can say today that the leaders of our party are Baba Bisi Akande and Gboyega Oyetola. Journalists, you can verify, we have had four important processes leading to the general elections. There was the primaries that brought Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at Eagles Square. You as journalists, go and ask those people that said they have tent and their leaders, what role did they play in the emergence of Asiwaju as the candidate of our party?”
Referring to Aregbesola, the immediate past Minister of Interior, Basiru further said, “Even today, they claim Asiwaju is their mentor, he is your mentor but you did not deem it fit to support your mentor to emerge as the candidate of the APC. It is a moral question that they must answer, not me. I was at Eagles Square and for two years, I was visiting one part of the country to another without collecting any Kobo from anybody, working seriously for the emergence of Tinubu.
“Secondly, we had a governorhsip election in this state, did he vote for the party? Senator Adeleke said it, black and white, that they worked for him to emerge. I was not the one that said so. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu contested on the same day that I contested the National Assembly election, our former Minister, former leader was not around to vote for his benefactor and mentor. It’s on record that he didn’t come to campaign, he didn’t come to support the party and he didn’t even come to cast his vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We also had the House of Assembly election, did he go to vote at that election? Did you see him near the perimeter fence at that place? So, nobody is aggrieved. I am not certainly aggrieved. We that are here are genuine members of the APC. So, these are the genuine members, those that are not genuine, go and ask them why they are not genuine. I told you he (Aregbesola) was our leader but I don’t know which party he belongs to now. I don’t know, on a more serious note. Quote me, he was our leader but I don’t know which party he belongs to. For the past three elections, we have not seen him participating in any of our party’s activities.
“So, I can’t mention somebody I don’t know. So, you can ask him which party he belongs to. Today, I am in APC, I worked for APC whether we win or lose. Go and ask him, which party did he vote for in the governorship election, which party did he vote for during the presidential election, which party did he vote for during the House of Assembly. He was our leader, but today, I am not sure whether he is still within the party. I am not abusing him. Even Asiwaju that is his benefactor, he didn’t vote for him, is it a beneficiary that will now be angry that he didn’t support me during election? I am not angry.”
