Former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Revd. Lowo Adebiyi, has taken swipe at reports ascribing the nomination of former members of the defunct The Osun Progressives (TOP) as members of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s cabinet to former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, describing it as a mere blackmail.
In a statement on Sunday, Adebiyi said the nomination of Barr. Kolapo Alimi and Dr. Biyi Odunlade was not connected with the defunct TOP or Aregbesola, saying that Alimi is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while it had also been speculated that Odunlade had joined PDP some months ago.
Adebiyi noted that the reports of “compensation” as being circulated are baseless and untrue, describing it as a plot by the IleriOluwa group to further paint the former Minister of Interior and his loyalists black before rational members of the APC.
“We had for long noticed the wicked moves by the IleriOluwa gladiators to continue their fruitless onslaught on Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola with the intention of painting him black before well-meaning and rational leaders and members of the APC.
“But as they continue in their evident journey of political perdition, so is Aregbesola’s popularity soaring. We advise the IleoriOluwa gladiators to stop chasing shadow” said Adebiyi.
The statement reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to jaundiced reports apparently sponsored by some groups of politically naive elements in Osun APC, mischievously reporting that Governor Ademola Adeleke nominated Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola/The Osun Progressives men for cabinet positions.
“The writers of the reports gave themselves away as mischief makers or confused persons when they falsely stated that Kolapo Alimi Esq who had decamped to PDP for close to two years now is a member of defunct TOP.
“Like the writers stated, a lot of speculations and deliberate misinformation had been made by the electorally injured group, Ilerioluwa within our party, the APC, with a view to affix the reason for their self-imposed defeat on TOP.
“We of the defunct TOP had evidently rebuffed all the baseless and mindless political accusations against us by those who had and are still making mess of the once upon a time viable APC in the state.
“We note that the sponsored report on the appointment of both Alimi and Dr Biyi Odunlade is another attempt of the failed mission to blackmail us.
“Hon. Biyi Odunlade was speculated to have joined PDP in not too distant past and it would be recalled that TOP had been dissolved since last year, hence it may be an academic exercise to categorically state correctly his status politically.
“Of course, we can’t deny the fact that the two gentlemen were TOP members, but we state in categorical terms that they must have earned their nominations by their merits and not on behalf of defunct TOP or as a “compensation” as mischievously reported by the pro-IleriOluwa caucus reporters.
“We reiterate that this is yet another opportunity for the political loafers in Ilerioluwa group to attempt to blackmail defunct TOP members and Aregbesola, and we are not in any doubt that they will continue to agonise over their woeful but avoidable loss of the July 16, 2022 governorship and the 2023 general elections.”
