by Jare Tiamiyu.
The immediate past Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Lasun Yusuff is no doubt one of the biggest politicians exported into national space by Osun State. He is the second greatest person in hierarchy – constitutionally recognized – that Osun has produced. Second to only Hon. Patricia Etteh, who was once a speaker of the Green Chambers.
Lasun’s golden jubilee was on Sunday, October 4th 2020 but the celebration has started since Friday when first mini party/prayer session was held for him at his country home in Ilobu, Irepodun local government.
People of Ilobu, friends and associates gathered at his residence as early as 7am to celebrate a great day with the golden son, friend and leader.
However, it seems the Governor of the Osun state, Mr Gboyega Oyetola is still nursing an animosity with the former number six person in the country as he and everyone in his cabinet conspicuously absent themselves at the party and also failed congratulate him, even with a press statement.
Oyetola, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, congratulated for Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade on his 81st birthday on Saturday. This makes one to wonder if the governor and the Ilobu-man are not still seeing each other as fierce enemies.
Oyetola has been putting up an appearance of a man of peace since he assumed office and he has been working to rebuild the APC prior to the his second term bid in 2022, but it seems he has drawn a battle line with Lasun, while the other man also seems not interested in the peace between the duo.
Apart from Oyetola and his cabinet members, no member of the APC state working committee or any stalwart of the party graced the mini party held at Lasun’s country home in Ilobu neither were they at Liam hotel on Sunday to mark his birthday, except former Osun West Senator, Mudasiru Hussein.
This also puts a question mark on the relationship the former deputy speaker has been maintaining with political leaders in his party and also, speaks volume of his alleged relationship with the opposition leaders as former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola was at the party held in Osogbo on Sunday.
Speaking with our Correspondent, an aide of Lasun, Prof Aderemi Ajala confessed to InsightMedia that his principal did not extend any invitation to the state government or the APC. He said Lasun have continued to maintain his low profile since he left office last year.
When asked why that decision was made, Ajala said, “Rt. Hon. Lasun Yusuff didn’t plan to throw a huge party to celebrate his 60th birthday. It was his family and some of his aides that felt like that should celebrate their father, their uncle and their boss. So he didn’t give any list of those to invite to the programme.”
On his relationship with the leadership of the APC in the state, Ajala said “because of the outbreak of COVID-19, party affairs have been put on hold as not meeting or gathering but Lasun Yusuff remains a friend of the APC leaders and they know him as their friend, leader and colleague.”
On when the governor personally sent a wish to Lasun, Ajala simply said, “I don’t think that happened. But Oga has not discussed those who wished him to us because we’ve been busy with plannings of the programme.”
When InsightMedia tried to seek the reaction of the state Governor, his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan didn’t respond to the text message sent to his phone number.
Lasun was the Deputy Speaker of the 8th Assembly but got the position against the wish of the majority of the south west caucus of the All Progressives Congress, led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was then rooting for the current speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila to emerge as the speaker of the house.
Lasun had his way but as expected, he fell out with his erstwhile friend and then governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola, who is a frontliner of Tinubu’s lieutenants.
As that was ongoing, Lasun started nursing ambition for governor in 2018 against the wish of Aregbesola and Tinubu and that provided a reason to clash with the incumbent Governor Oyetola, who was Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff.
Lasun has publicly declared that he won’t leave the APC and that “if the party will collapse, it will collapse on all of us.”
He has at different occasions stated his commitment to one day govern Osun, maybe this is the source of the prolonged war between the two men.
