The crisis rocking the Osun chapter of the All Progressives Congresses (APC) has taken a turn for the worse, as the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, declared publicly he has become the leader of the factional group of the party led Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile.
Aregbesola said that there were two factions of the party in the state and that his faction led by Alhaji Salinsile must be recognised by the APC national leadership before the gubernatorial poll, as against the group loyal to the state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.
The minister’s declaration on Friday in Ilesa, his hometown, came three days after the group loyal to the governor asked that the party’s national reconciliation committee head by Abdullahi Adamu, should disregard Aregbesola’s faction popularly called The Osun Progressives (TOP).
While addressing his supporters in Yoruba language, he noted that his decision to address the members was to clear the air on various issues particularly on security and his stance on the crisis rocking the APC in the state ahead of the 2022 gubernatorial poll.
“For those in doubt, Osun APC is divided. We have APC, Rauf Aregbesola’s faction which is chaired by Hon Razaq Salinsile and the other. Everybody is doing his or her own, later, we will renegotiate, we will rearrange everything. The caucus that produced our faction is called The Osun Progressives (TOP) chaired by Elder Lowo Adebiyi. Those people who are doubting whether I am part of TOP or not should listen up, I belong to TOP wholeheartedly.
“I am happy that the Commissioner of Police is here. There are a lot of lies that are flying around, I steered the affairs of this state for 8 years when I was there, you can check your record, there was no trouble, we do the job with the whole of our body to record the feat for 8 years. I use to sleep for 2 to 3 hours every day. I did not only do the job with my heart but my whole body” Minister added.
He urged the Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode to remain objective in the critical period in the state for the force to achieve success.
“I am a son of the soil, we cannot work to scuttle the state. My parents are from this state. If the police follows the dictate of their job without being biased, they will record success”, he said.