Politics

How Oyetola threw away his reelection chances, killed APC in Osun — Aregbesola ex-aide

Published

4 years ago

December 29, 2021

Former Special Adviser, Information and Strategy to ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Semiu Okanlawon

A former Special Adviser, Information and Strategy to ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Semiu Okanlawon, has stated that Governor Gboyega Oyetola may have inadvertently thrown away his chances of getting reelected as Osun State Governor by demonising the administration of his predecessor, where he played a major role as Chief of Staff.

He said Oyetola, by his action, has not only thrown away his reelection through the window, but has also “killed” the All Progressives Congress in the state.

Okanlawon stated this in an opinion piece he penned on Tuesday, which he titled: “Oyetola and the ‘a o m’erin j’oba’ choristers,” published elsewhere on this news website.

He said he confronted Oyetola when he began to exhibit “his operation tear down Aregbesola” tendencies in his early days as the newly-elected governor of the state and warned him how such could cost him dearly.

READ ALSO:

He wrote: “As a functionary in that administration, I knew ab initio that any attempt to present Aregbesola as evil was going to hurt Oyetola and his administration more than it would Aregbesola.

“This was the crux of my discussions with him in December 2019 during which I asked whether he thought it possible to extricate himself from whatever happened under the Rauf Aregbesola Administration by virtue of his position at the time.

“Assuming, without conceding, that Aregbesola’s administration was spendthrift or took certain decisions bordering on the finances of the state, including loans, salary issues, infrastructure financing and virtually every general matters, is it possible for Oyetola to be seen as an outsider to what transpired?”

Okanlawon said that with Oyetola’s emergence as Osun State Governor, “no one expected any lull in the advancement of the ‘State of the Virtuous’ in education, job creation, infrastructure rebirth, security, and above all, value re-orientation that hallmarked the administration where he served as the Chief of Staff and as a matter of fact, a major policy egghead.

“But rather than busy himself with these lofty objectives for which continuity would be a preference for public good, a vein, inglorious and totally unnecessary attempt at ‘removing the hands of Aregbesola’ from the politics of Osun was elevated to the level of state objective. If you cannot key into that objective, you certainly cannot matter either in government or the party.

“I have asked myself what were these objectives meant to achieve.”

Okanlawon revealed that it took a lot of effort for leaders of the APC to convince members of the party who totally rejected his candidature as governorship aspirant in the state in 2018.

He wrote: “Knowing the shreds to which his forced candidature turned the party ahead of the 2018 election, we would have been saved the troubles if we had not followed this ignoble path. I recall vividly that the entire executive committee of the APC in Governor Oyetola’s Ward in Iragbiji all resigned from the party to join the African Democratic Party in 2018. I remember calling on the Aragbiji, Oba Abdulrasheed Olabomi, at the time to intervene and not allow APC stalwarts in Oyetola’s homestead bring us all to shame.

“Of course, given the roles I had played previously in the election of the Governor, especially in the face of the total rejection of his candidature, people from my ward and local government were becoming apprehensive. Simply put, the grassroots ‘soldiers’ of the All Progressives Congress were already suspicious something capable of destroying the fabric of the party was going on at the ward levels across the state. They needed information, assurances that the party was not coming in the hands of those who would destroy it. They needed to bring their anxieties to me.

“They kept bombarding me with messages that our party was witnessing something very sinister, the type that could ignite an implosion if nothing was done.”

READ ALSO:

Okanlawon said he confronted Oyetola to confirm from him whether he was the one behind the underhand motives to cut Aregbesola into pieces by those he described as Ileri Oluwa leaders.

He said the governor denied knowledge of such moves, adding in the column: “Not convinced that he was unaware of the discriminatory moves and ill-feelings already being created, I went ahead to tell him that any attempt to cast Aregbesola in the image of someone to be discarded was predictably going to blow in the face of everyone.”

He described the present promoters of the governor’s reelection as the ‘a o merin joba crowd who don’t mean well for the elephant.

He said those of them goading Oyetola to go ahead with his reelection are only deceiving him because of their ultimate goal to disgrace him in the end.

Okanlawon said even a cabinet member of the governor had told him that Oyetola had become a hard sell but that no one was ready to tell him the truth just to remain in his good book.

The former Aregbesola aide said the ‘a o merin joba’ crowd will gladly turn back when Oyetola, the elephant, must have ended in the “decorative grave dug for him by those hailing him.”

He wrote: “A o m’erin j’oba (We’ll Make the Elephant King), which, in history, has no parallel in apt dramatisation of deceit, wickedness and fraud usually woven around fame and positions of influence and affluence. In the A o m’erin j’oba tragi-comedy, the elephant, in its obvious majestic size and shape, was led on by a band of deceivers, manipulators all garbed in praise-singers’ attires. Sadly, they had a sinister motive. Those who chorused its praises and assured the elephant of its impending ‘coronation’ had dug his grave where they planned to ditch it once they succeeded in cajoling it to follow them to the venue of ‘coronation’ ceremony.

“The grave was decorated with very attractive, velvets. And so they went for the elephant with singing and dancing.

“Our friend, totally oblivious of the evil plots by its praise-singers, danced on its way to the venue thinking it was its day of honour.

“Alas! On getting to the ‘coronation’ venue, where a beautifully decorated royal chair had been placed, the elephant sank with all its weight into the grave, while the praise-singers went their different paths; some of them jubilating.”

The Eagle

Related Topics:APC Featured Okanlawon Osun Oyetola reelection

Up Next

New Year Shocker: Ganduje drops hint of possible reconciliation with Kwankwaso, Shekarau, others

Don't Miss

2023 presidency: Power must shift to South, says Masari

Politics

ADC Leadership Crisis Deepens as Rival Faction Protests at INEC Headquarters

Published

15 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Trends Admin

ADC Leadership Crisis Deepens as Rival Faction Protests at INEC Headquarters

A fresh wave of internal crisis has hit the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a rival faction of the party, led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, staged a protest on Thursday at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

The demonstrators, who gathered in significant numbers, called on a separate faction reportedly aligned with prominent political figures—including David Mark, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso—to desist from interfering in the party’s internal affairs.

Leading the protest, Nafiu Bala Gombe insisted that the integrity and independence of the ADC must be preserved, warning against what he described as external influence and imposition of leadership within the party structure.

READ ALSO:

He was joined by a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, who represents a constituency in Kogi State. Abejide echoed concerns over what the group termed attempts to destabilise the party through parallel leadership claims.

The protesters urged INEC to uphold the rule of law by strictly adhering to a recent court ruling concerning the party’s leadership dispute. They specifically called on the electoral body to maintain the “status quo ante bellum”—a legal term referring to the state of affairs before the emergence of the current conflict—pending final resolution of the matter.

Chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards, the group emphasised the need for transparency, judicial compliance, and neutrality in the commission’s handling of party affairs.

The development marks a further escalation in the ADC’s internal wrangling, raising concerns about the party’s stability ahead of future political engagements.

ADC Leadership Crisis Deepens as Rival Faction Protests at INEC Headquarters

Politics

Court Stops ADC Congress, Orders Status Quo in Leadership Row

Published

20 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Trends Admin

Court Stops ADC Congress, Orders Status Quo in Leadership Row

A High Court in Katsina State has issued an interim order restraining key members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) from parading themselves as officials of the party in the state and barred the conduct of any party congress pending the determination of a suit before the court.

The order followed an ex parte motion filed by Usman Wamba, who claims to be the legitimate Katsina State Chairman of the ADC. Wamba approached the court to challenge what he described as attempts by rival party members to usurp his position and authority.

In a ruling delivered by Justice A. K. Tukur on April 7, 2026, the court restrained Lawan Batagarawa and Babangida Ibrahim Mahuta from presenting themselves as leaders or stakeholders of the ADC Katsina chapter. They were also prohibited from conducting any party activities or organising congresses until the motion on notice is fully heard and determined.

READ ALSO:

The court further restrained the national leadership of the ADC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising, supervising, or participating in any congress organised by the defendants in Katsina State. Justice Tukur ordered all parties to maintain the status quo concerning leadership and activities of the party in the state.

Additionally, the court granted Wamba leave to serve the defendants outside Katsina State, including in Abuja, via courier. The substantive hearing of the motion has been scheduled for April 15, 2026.

ADC’s Katsina State legal adviser, Barrister Mustapha Shiru Mahuta, confirmed receipt of the court order, saying the party’s legal team was reviewing it and preparing for further actions.

The injunction comes amid a protracted leadership crisis within the ADC Katsina chapter, which has seen rival factions claiming legitimate authority ahead of congresses intended to position the party for the 2027 general elections. The court’s ruling effectively halts all planned congresses at ward, local government, and state levels in Katsina.

Political analysts note that the case highlights how internal party disputes can escalate into legal battles, disrupting organisational structures and delaying preparations for wider political engagement.

Court Stops ADC Congress, Orders Status Quo in Leadership Row

Politics

#OccupyINEC: ADC Protests in Abuja, Demands INEC Chairman’s Resignation

Published

21 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Trends Admin

#OccupyINEC: ADC Protests in Abuja, Demands INEC Chairman’s Resignation

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) led a massive protest in Abuja on Tuesday under the hashtag #OccupyINEC, calling for the resignation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Joseph Amupitan. The party accused INEC of partisanship, constitutional violations, and interference in internal party affairs, actions it says threaten Nigeria’s democratic process.

ADC Protests in Abuja

The demonstration began at the Maitama Roundabout and drew a host of prominent political figures, including former Senate President David Mark, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, and ex-Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye. Their presence highlighted the seriousness of the protest and amplified public attention.

ADC leaders accused the INEC Chairman of overstepping his constitutional authority, especially in matters related to court rulings and party leadership disputes. According to the party, INEC’s actions — including publicly interpreting court judgments — encroach on the judiciary’s exclusive powers and undermine the credibility of the electoral system.

READ ALSO:

The protest also comes amid ongoing internal ADC disputes, which INEC has been accused of complicating by attempting to influence or reverse prior decisions regarding the party’s leadership structure. ADC insists that all internal processes were transparent and had been acknowledged by INEC in sworn affidavits.

During the demonstration, ADC presented six formal demands to INEC:

Immediate resignation or removal of the INEC Chairman.
Withdrawal of “offensive” correspondence sent to the party.
Formal apology from INEC.
Clear commitment to non-interference in political party affairs.
Restoration of public trust in the electoral process.
Implementation of reforms to ensure neutrality and transparency in future elections.

The party warned that failure to comply would trigger legal action and civic mobilisation, including judicial proceedings to hold the commission accountable. “The integrity of Nigeria’s democracy cannot and will not be sacrificed on the altar of institutional compromise,” ADC stated.

The protest saw supporters carrying placards and banners highlighting support for ADC leadership and denouncing perceived INEC bias. Party leaders emphasized that their action is aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democratic values ahead of the 2027 general elections.

#OccupyINEC: ADC Protests in Abuja, Demands INEC Chairman’s Resignation