Sunday Akere, a prominent leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, has made serious allegations against former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, accusing his successor, Gboyega Oyetola, of sabotaging President Bola Tinubu’s policies. He claimed that he actively undermined his second term ambitions. Victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking at the interview program “Frontliners” organized by the Osun State Veteran Journalists Federation held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists Press Center on Thursday, Mr. Akere accused Mr. Oyetola of being a pawn in Mr. Aregbesola’s political games against his estranged leader Mr. Tinubu. He suggested that he was using .
“The issue is not between Oyetola and Aregbesola. Aregbe wanted to fight his boss and saw Oyetola as a soft tool that he could use to fight his boss, the President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Previous Governor Oyetola had nothing to do with Mr Aregbesola because they had no problems,” Mr Akere said.
A former commissioner during the Aregbesola administration revealed that the rift between Mr. Aregbesola and Mr. Oyetola remains unresolved.
He recounted recent discussions with leaders of the Omoluabi Progressive Party, saying Mr Aregbesola’s faction would publicly renounce allegiance to Tinubu and wait years to regain power, reflecting deep divisions within the party. He indicated that he intended to do so.
Mr. Akere criticized the APC national leadership for failing to address Mr. Aregbesola’s alleged anti-party activities, stressing that the regional party does not have the authority to discipline such a prominent figure without state intervention. .
In a move to solidify the future of the party, Mr. Akere announced that the APC has decided to support Mr. Oyetola as its candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election, adding that the party has joined the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He expressed confidence that he would win.
When asked for a response, Sola Fasule, a close ally of Mr. Aregbesola, dismissed Mr. Akere’s accusations, saying, “APC is dead in Osun.”
He further alleged that Mr. Akere and Mr. Oyetola’s supporters frequently cite Mr. Aregbesola’s name to gain relevance and secure federal appointments.
“The point is, the APC has always been dead in Osun and if you say who is the APC now, you will hear the names of Akele, Kola Olabisi and the party chairman. Therefore, all that remains of the APC in the state is ” So one of the ways they find relevance for themselves is by always dragging Aregbesola’s name. Therefore, if any of them is looking for a job in Abuja, it is not surprising that he drags Aregbesola’s name.
“They are actually putting the former governor (Mr. Oyetola) in danger because they are always in a position to antagonize him and make him a prisoner of power. Despite being in power, they take him captive and it’s all just a matter of time.
“Everything he is saying is nonsense, he is just finding relevance for himself. He just mentions Aregbesola’s name because he is looking for a job through federal government appointments etc. It is a common tactic for all of them,” Fasle asserted.