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How He Plans To Control OSUN Politics
Ahead of 2026 Osun gubernatorial election, political players in the state have started serious preparations. And there have been alignment and re-alignment of forces from various groups.
The race for 2026 is hitting up gradually and one of the recent moves came from the camp of the former Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola and his Omoluabi Progressives.
It was reported that his political group Omoluabi Progressives has finally left the All Progressives Congress. Osun APC has also fired him.
A few months back, City People reported that he (Aregbesola) had formed his political group (Omoluabi Progressives) and he may finally dump APC. We reported that the big billboard was at the campaign office which is domiciled inside the four-storey building at Ayinke Towers, rechristened Oranmiyan House is located along the Gbongan-Ibadan road in Osogbo, the state capital.
The highrise building which served as Aregbesola’s campaign office and later the office of The Osun Progressives, TOP, before its dissolution in 2022.
The building which wore the colours of APC with many poles bearing flags of the party and the National flags adorning its frontage, has now worn a new look.
The building had the photo and identity of APC and the big photos of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bisi Akande and the ex-President Muhammadu Buhari but it has now been removed on the building and have been replaced with equally large size images of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late Chief Bola Ige and with the former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola’s picture inserted in the middle.
The Omoluabi Progressive Caucus have been inserted, replacing the APC logo on the big photo.
Here is what we found out from the top political analysts based in the state. According to our sources; one of the reasons why this is coming at this time is because the preparations are being set in motion for the 2026 gubernatorial election in the state. ‘Aregbe wants to come back in full force and assert himself. He wants to come back with his own candidate in power. He feels he’s been used and dumped in Lagos but sees Osun as his base and he wants to do everything to reclaim the state and be in control of things in the state”, one of the sources said.
Since his issue with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he has lost his political influence since he departed the Mandate Group in Lagos. He has also lost relevance in Osun politics when he failed to support the government of Oyetola as Osun Governor. But some people even said he lost it when he pitched his tent and supported Governor Ademola Adeleke against Oyetola’s second-term bid. These are many of Aregbesola’s misdeeds that have affected him politically, from what we found out from a top chieftain.
Finally, a few weeks back, former governor Aregbesola and his political group, Omoluabi Progressives dumped the All Progressives Congress and they gave reasons for that. By this act, the APC in Osun also expelled him from the party.
Before Aregbesola’s suspension, APC had gone into a sacking spree, expelling scores of its members suspected to be having a soft spot for the former governor.
The internal wrangling of the APC worsened after it lost the 2022 governorship election in Osun.
The APC accused Aregbesola and his followers of ditching its gubernatorial candidate, Gboyega Oyetola who is now the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and pitching their tent with the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke.
The electoral loss suffered by the party deepened the feud between Oyetola and Aregbesola as the party insisted that the latter worked for Adeleke’s victory.
However, Oluwaseun disclosed that at the Aregbesola group’s January meeting, members expressed dissatisfaction with the management of Osun APC’s intra-party crisis which he said led to the party’s “abysmal loss” in the last election cycle, “a situation they consented has waned its strength and popularity among the people of Osun.”
The members were put to a voice vote by the leadership of the fold where they affirmed their readiness to switch allegiance to another political camp ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state,” he added.
Reacting to the development, Osun APC said it remains unperturbed over the exit of the political group backed by Aregbesola, labeling the group as “agents” of the ruling PDP.
Osun APC spokesman, Kola Olabisi, in a statement on Monday, said Aregbesola’s supporters actually quit the mainstream of the party in 2022 after allegedly ditching the party to support PDP.
Olabisi also remembered that a large number of the Omoluabi Progressives had been either expelled or suspended from the APC and described them as agents of the PDP who are in for other antics.
In the first instance, the kernel of the statement by the dissidents’ group amounted to a confused pack of rudderless politicians who were approbating and reprobating at the same time, as it is on record that a sizeable number of them have either been expelled or suspended from the party.
“How would any rational human being who has been suspended or expelled announce his resignation to the whole world again? Is that not an example of superfluity? We, in the Osun State APC, shall be happy to miss the political irritants and deviants who had since left the party by way of body and soul before the 2022 governorship election in the state.
You cannot be saying you are in our party and be working against the interest of the same party. You are agents of the PDP in Osun State and you are still of service to the ruling party in the state. What we are seeing with hindsight is that the hand is proverbially that of Jacob while the voice is identifiable to Isau.
“We shall be ready for the antics of the political renegades.
The ambulatory Omoluabi Progressives believe they are more progressive in Nigeria than the real progenitors of the progressives’ party having no respect for the elders and their political benefactors,” Olabisi said.
From what we gathered, we were reliably informed that, Aregbesola and his Omoluabi Progressives are going to present a formidable candidate to challenge Governor Ademola Adeleke in the forthcoming election, that he feels he can become whatever he wants in Osun politics.
In a statement signed by the group’s Organising and Publicity Secretary of Omoluabi Progressives, Oluwaseun Abosede, the group said the decision to leave the APC was initiated by stakeholders across the 332 wards in the state during the group’s monthly meeting held in Ilesa.
The statement cited several reasons for the decision, including allegations of ostracism, suspension, and expulsion of members without fair hearing, as well as the perceived neglect and denigration of the group within the APC structure.
Abosede further noted dissatisfaction with the party’s handling of internal crises, which the group claimed contributed to the APC’s poor performance in the last election cycle.
According to the group, this has significantly weakened the party’s popularity and strength in Osun State.
“The members were put to a voice vote by the leadership of the group, where they unanimously affirmed their readiness to switch allegiance to another political platform ahead of the 2026 governorship election,” the statement read in part.
Speaking during the meeting, Aregbesola, the immediate past Minister of Interior, lauded members of the group for their commitment to the principles of integrity, character, and good governance.
He urged them to remain steadfast as they reposition the Omoluabi Progressives for the future.
Commenting on the group’s decision to leave the APC, Aregbesola said it marked the beginning of a new journey towards entrenching responsible leadership in Osun.
“I am indeed happy that all of you have spoken with one voice, a united front to lead the way to our collective victory in the journey ahead,” Aregbesola said.
He added, “Our mission is to raise the level of prosperity of our dear state through responsible leadership. The path we have chosen is smooth, highly reassuring, and full of good tides that will propel Osun to greatness. Therefore, you must show more commitment and attract genuine people who are ready to walk this path of righteousness with us.”
He assured the group that ongoing efforts to properly position the Omoluabi Progressives for future challenges would soon yield positive results.
“We are open to all, regardless of political, religious, or socio-cultural affiliations. We have the numbers, strength, and political acumen to provide leadership that will make Osun the envy of its peers. By the grace of God, we shall succeed,” Aregbesola added
