A member of the Omoluabi Progressive caucus, Kazeem Olanrewaju, explained that the new looks at the high-rise edifice campaign office of former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, in Aregbe area of Osogbo was attempt for the former minister and his loyalists to return “to the progressives’ ideas that led to the creation of APC.”
Olanrewaju who was commenting on the removal of President Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande images from the campaign office said “Tinubu and Akande have both derailed from the Progressive ideas. Progressives’ politics, which started with Awolowo and Bola Ige, is not about power. It is about impacting lives,”.
While condemning Tinubu’s government for having “no achievement in a year of running Nigeria,” the loyalist of Aregbesola queried, saying, “What is progressive about running Nigeria for a year without achievement?”
When asked if they would restore APC logos at their offices, Olanrewaju said, “We will bring back the banners later.”
Also reacting to speculation of wether Aregbesola has quit APC, the Osun two term former governor said he remains a strong leader of the party in Osun and one of the founding fathers of the party nationally.
The former minister said he had already given out the buildings where the party’s logo and pictures of Tinubu and Akande were removed to the Omoluabi caucus of the party for them to be used as coordinating centres of the Omoluabi Progressives where Aregbesola serves as Grand Patron.
Aregbesola’s media aide, Sola Fasure, in an exclusive interview with The Point on Tuesday, made this known, stressing that if the former minister would leave the APC, it would be formal and that he would not be the only person that would defect.
Fasure said, “Aregbesola is one of the leaders of the APC and he has not left the party. The renovation of the office was done by the Omoluabi caucus. He has not left the APC. He has not indicated any desire to leave the APC. If he is leaving the APC, it won’t be a secret thing. There are many caucuses in APC, I am sure you know that. Ileri Oluwa is one of the caucuses. Omoluabi is one of the caucuses.
“He (Aregbesola) has given that space (Oranmiyan House) to the Omoluabi Caucus. That used to be his campaign office. There is no election he is campaigning for now. Omoluabi is a caucus and coordinates the activities of the party in grassroots. I am not sure you can remember the last time Aregbesola came to that place. The last time he was there (Oranmiyan House) was after he left office as a governor. He has been there once or twice since he finished serving as governor.
“Ogbeni Aregbesola is one of the leaders of the APC. He is one of the founders of the APC, one of the people who sat together to form the APC. So, if he is going to leave the party, a formal position would have been made and he will not be the only one that will leave.”
Asked if the former governor was aware of the repainting of the buildings and removal of the APC insignia, Fasure stated that, “He (Aregbesola) is a Grand patron of Omoluabi Caucus but he is not directly involved in the running of the group. The group has a leader and they have coordinators across the state. The Oranmiyan House is the coordinating centre.”
