The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun State, may be having a sigh of relief over the defeat of his successor, Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke in the Saturday governorship election in the state after years conflict. The Minister has been engaged in prolonged conflict with Governor Oyetola over the control of the party structure in Osun. The governor also schemed Aregbesola out of the state government, denying him slots in executive appointments.
Aregbesola had sponsored an aspirant for the APC governorship ticket at the party’s primary but lost to the governor. Thereafter, the minister was not part of the party’s campaign, while his supporters may have voted otherwise.
The APC mega was ‘boycotted’ by President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Aregbesola, other party leaders who include the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, and others. The campaign train was railed by Tinubu.
The defeat of Governor Oyetola was considered highly sensitive in the sense that Osun is Tinubu’s home state.
Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had 403,371 votes to defeat Oyetola of the APC, who had 375,027 votes in the Saturday governorship election.