Osun Succession : Aregbesola, Oyinlola Differ On Zone To Produce Governorship Candidate From
The Oasis Reporters
March 12, 2018
The state in the south west with the worst governance indices has it’s leaders bickering over succession, taking their eyes away from real governance which has eluded it for over a decade.
Osun state became notorious for the first managerial ineptitude,with it’s governor, Rauf Aregbesola, unable to pay salaries making civil servants to suffer, yet with grandiose but un-implementable projects,dotting the landscape .
It’s former PDP governor, who was sent parking from Government House through a court verdict, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, turned around to cross over to the APC that chased him out of office in the first place, for bread and butter factors , some pundits in Oshogbo the state capital, avow.
In this eight year of APC governorship, and with Governor Rauf Aregbesola no longer eligible to run for office, Oyinlola wants to dictate where the successor to Aregbesola should come from.
Events seem primed for a clash because Aregbesola who wants his choice from a different direction altogether.
Talk about failed leadership trying to make a success over the choice of a successor.
The governorship election in the state begins to gather momentum, ahead of the election in September this year.
Oyinlola, on Friday tasked the people of the Osun West Senatorial District to search for a young and educated candidate with the capacity to lead the state after the expiration of Aregbesola’s tenure in November.
But it is believed in many quarters that Aregbesola is backing his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, who is from Iragbiji in Osun Central Senatorial District to succeed him in the election scheduled to hold in September.
Speaking in Ede at the 10th coronation anniversary lecture of the Timi of Ede, Oba Adesola Lawal, Oyinlola said he was ready to support whoever the people of Osun West would present as their governorship candidate.
Oyinlola, who has publicly identified with the coalition proposed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, explained that Osun West had only ruled the state for 22 months out of the 27 years of existence of Osun State.
He noted it would be unjust to deny the senatorial district the chance to produce the next governor of the state, stressing that he would support the district in order to correct the imbalance.
Oyinlola urged the people of the state to dismiss the rumour that he had a particular person in mind.
He insisted that he had nobody in mind but promised to support anybody brought forward by the district to contest the governorship poll.
He, however, said he had no interest to contest despite the calls that he should contest again.
He said, “ Out of 27 years of the existence of Osun State, the West has only been there (governorship position) for just 22 months. The aspiration of the founding fathers of the state is that no part should be marginalized.
“I don’t mind if I stand alone. I have told my political family to find an educated young person from the West Senatorial District who can lead the state after the tenure of the governor. I said that is the man I will want you to bring to me.
“Please, Oyinlola has nobody in mind. I am saying that in all sincerity and in all honesty. In the West, scout for us somebody to lead us after the expiration of the tenure of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbeola, I’m not bothered about what anybody has to say.”
However, the Media Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Sola Fasure has vouched for his boss, Aregbesola, saying he “had nobody in mind but that the governor would support anybody the party leaders brought forward as the consensus candidate”.
He said, “The leadership of the party is holding a series of meetings on the matter and the governor says it is the candidate that the leadership of the party agrees on that he will support.”
Fasure said, “You know that the tradition of the party from the time of the Action Group to the Alliance for Democracy has been to have consensus but it is when consensus failed that they would go to primary.”
Additional source : Nigerian Eye
