- Gov ‘drops’ predecessor’s SSG nominee
- … ‘sacks’ staff of media outfit
- Oyebamiji remains SSG – Gov’s office
- No friction between Gov Oyetola and I, he’s my elder brother- Aregbesola
By TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Indications of a serious disagreement between the immediate past governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and the incumbent, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, over the control of governance and political structure of the state appeared at the weekend.
Although Aregbesola has denied having any disagreement with Oyetola, recent happenings in the state suggest that there is, indeed, no longer any love lost between him and his successor.
The Point’s investigations revealed that this rift had already polarised the Osun State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress, pitching the camps of Oyetola and Aregbesola against each other. The development has been further manifested in the recent elections of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly and other principal officers of the Legislature.
Recall that Aregbesola and top APC leaders in the state had masterminded and perfected the emergence of Oyetola as the party’s candidate for the 2018 governorship election in the state.
A source in the Osun APC disclosed to The Point that upon the emergence of Oyetola as the governor of the state, pressure had been mounted on him to relinquish control of the party’s affairs in the state to his predecessor, Aregbesola, to enable the immediate past governor to continue to have relevance in the affairs of the state.
But this move, it was gathered, was bluntly rebuffed by Governor Oyetola, who allegedly insisted that, as the sitting governor, he should also be the leader of the party in the state.
Aside from the alleged failure of Aregbesola to get Oyetola’s nod to take over the control of the affairs of the ruling APC in the state, the zoning of the chairmanship position of the ruling party and other offices in the forthcoming state party Congress is another factor said to have fuelled the rift between the duo.
It was gathered that Aregbesola had insisted that the incumbent Chairman of the APC in the state, Prince Adegboyega Famodun, should not be allowed to have a second term in office in the spirit of fairness and equity, because he hails from the same Osun Central Senatorial District with Governor Oyetola.
But Oyetola was said to have insisted on a fresh term of four years for Famodun as the state chairman of the party.
The Point learnt that the incumbent governor’s camp had insisted that Aregbesola set a precedent while he was the governor of the state, as a former chairman of the Osun APC under his administration, Elder Adebiyi Adelowo, hails from the same Osun East Senatorial District with the immediate past governor.
Meanwhile, the results of the rift between Aregbesola and his successor, Oyetola, may have begun to manifest.
The Point reliably gathered that Aregbesola and other prominent APC leaders in the state had thrown their weight behind the immediate past Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salaam, as the candidate for the plum job of the Secretary to the State Government under Oyetola, a move said to have been rebuffed and resisted by the governor.
This plan was said to have been hatched during the last governorship electioneering period in which Salaam also aspired to be the state governor.
The former speaker was said to have been convinced to drop his bid for governorship to enable Oyetola emerge as the APC governorship candidate, having secured an assurance that he would be appointed SSG by Oyetola, after the expiration of his eight-year tenure as the speaker of the state Assembly.
But before Salaam exited the Assembly as Speaker, Governor Oyetola had appointed a technocrat, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, as SSG. Oyebamiji was said to have been appointed with the caveat that he would vacate the post for Salaam after the inauguration of the 7th Assembly. The SSG, who is not a core politician, agreed to this arrangement, according to sources close to the discussions.
The Point’s investigation revealed that Oyebamiji, in compliance with the pre-condition attached to his appointment, had moved out of the Government House immediately Salaam’s tenure as the Speaker ended penultimate Thursday.
But a government source disclosed to our correspondent that Governor Oyetola ordered Oyebamiji to return to his office at the Government House and continue to function as the SSG.
“Two days after he finally bowed out as speaker and member of the Assembly, Salaam approached Governor Oyetola on the initial plans to announce his appointment as the SSG, but the governor asked him to tarry a while, since he just left the speakership position. This infuriated Salaam, who is a loyalist of the immediate past governor of the state, Aregbesola,” an impeccable source in the Government House, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said.
The Point further learnt that the alleged ongoing feud between Aregbesola and Governor Oyetola has also been aggravated with the recent laying-off of the staff of a media house – Osun Defender Newspaper – said to have been owned by the immediate past governor. It was gathered that the salaries of the editors and reporters of the newspaper were paid from the purse of the state government when Aregbesola was the governor.
The sacked workers had reportedly been owed several months of salaries even before the expiration of Aregbesola’s second term.
Osun Defender Newspaper was said to have been established by Aregbesola during the struggle to reclaim his mandate from the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, earlier declared winner of the governorship poll in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“Unable to pay the staff from his personal purse, Aregbesola put pressure on Governor Oyetola to settle the staff of the newspaper from government purse, as usual, but Oyetola resisted it and this worsened the rift between them,” another reliable source, who also pleaded anonymity, owing to the sensitivity of the issue, disclosed.
GOV OYETOLA REACTS
But Governor Oyetola has denied sacking the staff of Osun Defenders Newspaper, insisting that the medium is privately owned.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Adeniyi Adesina, in a telephone chat with our correspondent, Oyetola said he would not mention the name of the person who owns the medium that has been closed down.
On whether the governor contravened an alleged plan that Salaam should be appointed SSG, Adesina said, “I am not aware of that. I can only tell you that Prince Sole Oyebamiji has been appointed SSG and he still remains the SSG.”
Adesina could also not confirm if the state government, under Aregbesola, drew the newspaper’s staff salaries from state purse, since he only resumed duty after Oyetola became governor.
But one of the sacked editors of the newspaper outfit, who did not want his name mentioned, confirmed to our correspondent on the phone that the staff were sacked, adding, “It is an internal industrial matter.”
AREGBESOLA DENIES RIFT
Meanwhile, the immediate past governor, Aregbesola, has denied the existence of any rift between him and Governor Oyetola.
Aregbesola said speculations of a rift between him and the governor was a mere figment of the imagination of those peddling such a “rumour.”
He said the current government in the state was a product of his dynamic leadership and commitment to good governance, which brought about significant development in both human capital and physical infrastructure.
The former governor made the clarification recently in Osogbo, while speaking at a Ramadan lecture organised to celebrate his 62nd birthday by a socio-political organisation, En-Route Rauf.
Aregbesola had said, “Let me clear the air that there is no friction between me and the present government. The current government in the state came on board as a result of our unfettered commitment and efforts. We cannot but continue to pray for the progress of what we laboured and strived for.
“Oyetola is my elder brother, who is senior to me in all ramifications. He has achieved a lot in his personal life before having a stint at all in government. So, nothing could have caused any issue between us. Let our detractors know that there can only be peace within us and the state.”
