2024: Aregbesola, Tinubu’s feud shifts to Ondo Ahead Of Gov Election

•• Draconian Team Aketi to has no moral right to accuse anyone – Bola Ilori

••• Aiyedatiwa depends on Goodwill Of All APC Members to Win – Camp

The April 25th APC governorship election primary in Ondo State is poised to reignite the ongoing power struggle between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his estranged political ally, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

Reports suggest that Aregbesola has directed his supporters in Ondo State to rally behind Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for the primary.

While the Presidency’s stance on the Ondo State election remains undisclosed, there are speculations that Aiyedatiwa might not be the favored candidate.

For Aregbesola, the emergence of Aiyedatiwa represents a chance to reclaim political influence in the Southwest.

The rift between Aregbesola and Tinubu deepened after the 2019 general elections.

It escalated during the 2022 APC governorship election in Osun State when Aregbesola supported Moshood Adeoti while Tinubu backed the incumbent governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.

Political observers believe this discord contributed to Oyetola’s loss in the 2022 Osun State re-election.

The fallout extended to the 2023 Presidential election, where the APC lost its Alimosho local government stronghold to the Labour Party.

This loss was attributed to Aregbesola’s alleged failure to mobilize support for Tinubu.

In the same election, Tinubu lost in Osun State to the PDP’s Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, purportedly due to Aregbesola’s followers working against Tinubu.

In Ondo State, Aregbesola’s allies, including Dr. Oladipupo Okeyomi, also known as ‘Carry Go’, and Hon. Bola Ilori, his former Special Adviser, are already leading the campaign for Aiyedatiwa in the party’s primary election.

Okeyomi is the convener of the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS), while Ilori was said to have held a series of meetings with APC members, particularly the Aborigines on the need to support Aiyedatiwa.

A trusted leader in the Aregbesola camp in Ondo State stated, “We are doing this not only for Governor Aiyedatiwa, but also for Aregbesola.”

“You know, Aregbesola grew up in this state and invested heavily in state politics while serving as governor of Osun. We believe that Lucky’s nomination as the party’s candidate will send a strong message to Abuja’s leaders that Aregbesola is a politician that cannot be ignored.

“We understand that the President may not support Aiyedatiwa, but what we are doing is preparing for whatever mode of primary the party chooses and delivering the ticket for Aiyedatiwa in as much as the poll process is free, fair, and credible.”

Bola Ilori Reacts

I, Bola Ilori and Carry-Go (Okeyomi) campaigned and voted Asiwaju openly even when Aregbe did not.

Aketi and his people campaigned for Fayemi during primaries, Aketi’s wife openly campaigned for Obi against Asiwaju during the main election, so kindly tell me the moral rights of the remnant of draconian Team Aketi to accuse anyone.

Asiwaju saw me and was openly excited, so ask them whose battle are they fighting? I laugh the losing gang to scom as I remain fully LUCKY this time.

They ran a reign of terror, intimidation and humiliation, I hope they realise its over now, Ayé ti dà tiwa!!! May their tribe never emerge in Ondo State again! – BOLA ILORI.

AIYEDATIWA IS DEPENDING ON THE GOODWILL OF ALL APC MEMBERS TO WIN THE PRIMARIES OF THE PARTY – CAMP

The camp of Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa has described as fallacy the stories on some media that Former Governor Rauf Aregbesola loyalists and former Governor Olusegun Mimiko are the ones working to make Ayedatiwa win the ticket of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the upcoming primaries election in Ondo State. The question is how does Aregbesola become a factor in the primary election in Ondo State? Even though former Governor Rauf Aregbesola is a respected member of the APC and an ally of the President of the Federal Republic, Bola Ahmed Tinubu he is not from Ondo State and would not be voting at the primaries and the governorship elections. The people described as his loyalists supporting Ayedatiwa are members of APC and like any other indigene of Ondo State have the right to support any candidate of their choice. That they have chosen to support Ayedatiwa who has been garnering an unprecedented support from all and sundry is a welcome development.

On the fathom role of former Governor Mimiko, it should be seen as a mere distraction. Mimiko is not a member of APC and does not have a say in the affairs of the party. Is it the Mimiko whose party has been roundly defeated twice by the APC candidate in his base, Ondo East/West Constituency by Honorable Abiola Makinde that would now determine the fate of Governor Ayedatiwa in the APC? 

The writers of the stories are just on a wild goose chase and have made a very poor effort to portray Ayedatiwa as fraternising with the perceived enemies of the President. Let it be known that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has no enemy in Aregbesola, any member of APC or Nigerian for that matter. He is the father of the nation and a committed democrat.

It is obvious that Governor Ayedatiwa has become the real deal in Ondo politics and has been enjoying overwhelming support from people within the APC and outside of the party which portends what the future holds – victory at the polls. All well meaning Ondo state people are welcome to give him all the support he needs to make Ondo state better and greater. The people should not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by mischief makers and merchants of vices in their bid to score cheap political points.