BY AUGUSTINE AVWODE
The search for peace is on. Mercifully, there has been an encouraging lull and quiet of late as opposed to the hitherto tension-soaked political atmosphere that heralded the Osun gubernatorial primary of the All Progressives Congress.
For now, the throwing of brickbats by a retinue of supporters and sympathizers from both camps has dramatically reduced. Before now, the political skyline got dangerously cloudy and threatening with accompanying lightning and thunderstorms. But all that has abated now.
The talk of peace and reconciliation started largely as a rumour about two weeks ago. There were claims that efforts by concerned groups and individuals were afoot to bring together again the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to a round table for an amicable settlement of whatever differences may exist between them after a highly acrimonious governorship primary in Osun State.
Soon after the primary election a coalition of various organisations in Yorubaland which comprised artisanal groups, trade groups and pro-democracy organizations, came together to demand an immediate end to the face-off between the two prominent political leaders.
They argued that the two prominent Yoruba politicians are by right, leaders whose disagreements can negatively affect the political fortune of the region.
A group, under the umbrella of the League of South West Civil Society and Community-Based Organisations, told newsmen in Lagos that it will report back to the people whatever was the outcome of the people-driven peace initiative.
The spokesman of the group, Taiwo Adeleye, said “We have called this important meeting for many good reasons. We are all conscious of the history of politics in the South West for time immemorial. In the South West, post-colonial history teaches us that the region had its own dose of intra-party wrangling with far-reaching consequences on Yoruba people and their ancestral territories. The Western Regional crisis which dovetailed into the 1964 general elections could have been avoided. It started as ideological differences between the then Premier of Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his Deputy, Chief Ladoke Akintola. Eventually, this crisis snowballed into a major conflict within the Action Group, (AG) leading to the emergence of a faction of Chief Akintola presented as an alternative political front which clashed with the established dominion of the Action Group.”
“Look at what happened in Alimosho. The election took place in Osun, you are carrying somebody’s coffin in Lagos and nobody could restrain these ruffians. It is simply because they are all afraid. They are all afraid, that is it”
The group also cited the case of Adekunle Ajasin and Akin Omoboriowo in old Ondo State. It then pleaded that no occasion should be given for a repeat of such a scenario in the region. The group said it has followed the face-off between the camps of Aregbesola and Tinubu concerning recent political developments in Yorubaland.
It said “there are many vested interests attached to this dispute. There are those who want the two main actors to drown politically.
There are those who feast on the crisis and even benefit financially, and to this extent would not wish to see an end to the imbroglio.
“There are also those motivated with the passion to see the South West erupt in a major crisis. There are those moved by envy and cruel hatred to the extent that anything that would bring down Comrade Rauf Aregbesola should be upheld and sustained,” the group noted.
Last week Monday, a group by the name Ibora Group Worldwide, in an advert in newspapers titled “To err is human, forgiveness is divine”, expressed shock at the disagreement between Tinubu, who it described as “our national leader and political father and his political godson and close associate, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola.”
The group added that “The crisis has become a major concern for all and sundry across the length and breadth of Nigeria, particularly we, their political children. It has also brought about disaffection amongst the rank and file of our party membership and political family at the national, zonal, state, local and ward levels.
“This unhealthy development speaks ill of the future of our political family and the welfare of our members. While we cannot take sides, watching our political lineage and heritage get destroyed is not an option. We cannot ‘siddon and look’.”
The group appealed to “well-meaning leaders of thought, traditional rulers and religious leaders to please convene a special meeting of reconciliation, as a matter of urgent national importance for the interest of the Yoruba ethnic nationality and Nigeria in general.”
“I pray they succeed, but it would all depend on how the three personalities take the whole peace initiative. You know our elders say the face with which you have quarreled is difficult to smile with. That is the challenge in the whole peace initiative”
The group threw a challenge to the traditional rulers, elders and leaders of the ethnic group by repeating a well-known role ascribed to them from days of yore, saying “Agba ki wa loja ki ori omo titun wo.” It literally means you can’t have elders in a place and allow things to go wrong.
A source told The Point that the fallout between Aregbesola and Tinubu, though has been festering for three years now, nobody took any step to douse the fire that was building up until it became a huge embarrassment inferno to the leaders in the geo-political zone and those who claim to be progressives.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said “They were all embarrassed. I mean traditional rulers, political leaders and all those who claim to be Awoist or disciples of Awo. They were all ashamed. They witnessed the whole episode from day one. They felt one party was the weak party and nothing would happen, but when the volcano erupted, they started running around. It was enough development for opponents of the region to say ‘your leaders are fighting; they are not in agreement. Why are you still asking for the presidential slot? Your house is divided; we cannot help or support you. So they ran as fast as their legs could carry them to embark on peace, reconciliation and settlement. I pray they succeed, but it would all depend on how the three personalities take the whole peace initiative. You know our elders say the face with which you have quarreled is difficult to smile with. That is the challenge in the whole peace initiative. ”
It was heartwarming to those who are championing reconciliation last week when two foremost traditional rulers ‘heeded’ the call and appeal by the Ibora Group. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, together met with Aregbesola in one of the private residences of the Alaafin in Ibadan, with a view to reconciling him with Asiwaju.
Reports had it that the former Lagos State Governor was not at the meeting.
The same source confided in The Point that “it was a masterstroke by the revered traditional rulers to have invited one party at a time.
The wisdom here is excellent because for one, nerves are still very fray and can further snap at any time. The best approach is to systematically and gently smoothen the abrasive rough edges and prepare the way for an embrace in the final moment.”
Findings by The Point newspaper showed that Asiwaju has not expressed opposition to any peace initiative and is not averse to whatever anybody was doing to bring about peace, unity and reconciliation within what many people like to call his political family.
Tinubu’s media aide, Tunde Rahman, told a national newspaper that “Asíwájú Tinubu has tremendous respect for the traditional institution and particularly for the two eminent royal fathers. You would recall that only recently during his consultations and engagements with traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Oyo and Osun States on his presidential aspiration, he visited and interfaced with Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, and Onirisa, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, in their respective domains.
“If you ask me what Asiwaju’s attitude would be to the reconciliation move, of course, he would welcome and support it. Don’t forget that Asiwaju and the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, are from the same political family. Asíwájú appointed him Commissioner for Works for eight years during his time as Lagos governor. He also later drafted him into the Osun governorship race and supported him to be governor in Osun for eight years.
“I think Asiwaju would factor all of that and where both of them are coming from into the reconciliation efforts. He would not oppose the idea.”
Also, speaking to The Point, media aide to Aregbesola, Sola Fasure, said the minister is not also averse to any forms of reconciliation or peace initiative. But he expressed reservation over the slanting of the story of the meeting between the traditional rulers and the minister to make it look like the minister was the initiator of the meeting.
“What I know is that it is the traditional rulers who called the minister for the meeting (last week) and he honoured them. There is no way he can disrespect these revered traditional rulers. I am not aware that he has asked anybody to help him beg anybody. That’s all.”
When asked if he could hazard a guess as to what would be the response of Ogbeni Aregbesola to an amicable solution, he expressed reservation, saying the minister’s response would be informed by the content of what constitutes what our Correspondent described as an “amicable solution”.
He said “Well, the concept of an amicable solution, that itself is not a problem but the content of what makes an amicable solution is the issue. There has never been a time that Ogbeni was ever opposed to any solution and settlement. That’s all I can say for now.”
A chieftain of the APC in Lagos faulted the report that sought to make it look like the minister is the one who is on all knees begging.
He said, “If you allow me to tell you this in strict confidence, the report that made it look like Aregbesola engineered the peace meeting is false. Try and look at the matter very well. As of now he doesn’t need them; they are the ones who need him. They need him more than he needs them. The Asiwaju himself wants to contest the presidential election; he needs all the support he can muster. His brother in Osun, Governor Gboyega wants to contest the governorship election, he needs assistance. So, why would it now be Ogbeni that is begging them around? That’s what I find a bit difficult to understand. It doesn’t sound logical.”
The party chieftain added that “You know this matter has been on for three years plus now. I am sure you are aware of how his Mandate Group was dissolved in Lagos, here. That was a big political group in the Lagos APC. I am sure you are aware of how he was literally kicked out of GAC (Governor Advisory Council) also here in Lagos. How he was supplanted at Alimosho, the biggest constituency in Lagos? How they brought Adefulire and Igigbadero to supplant him in the place and how they have been systematically decimating him which is the same thing that played out in Osun? How anybody who identifies with him, either in Lagos or Osun becomes a target, and that has been going on for about four years and you have not heard anything from Tinubu. Look at what happened in Alimosho. The election took place in Osun, you are carrying somebody’s coffin in Lagos and nobody could restrain these ruffians. It is simply because they are all afraid.
They are all afraid, that is it. Ordinarily, people usually find the least line of resistance in finding a resolution to matters. They want to look at who is vulnerable and then prevail on that person to accept whatever solution they are coming up with. But it will take elders with integrity to say, no, this is right and this is wrong,” the party chieftain concluded.
Pessimists, however, could not see the possibility of reconciliation between two political associates of about two decades, if not more, taking place so soon. They argued that the frosty relationship between the two in the last three and a half years had done incalculable and irreparable damages to their years of chummy political association which yielded for Aregbesola eight years of Commissionership in Lagos State and another eight years of governorship in Osun State.
It had actually been a triangular face-off involving Aregbesola, immediate past Governor of Osun State on the one hand and incumbent Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, said to be the cousin of Asiwaju and Tinubu himself on the other hand.
Aregbesola and his supporters had alleged, soon after Oyetola’s inauguration of marginalisation, non-recognition and failure to be carried along by the new administration which they felt was meant to be for all the APC family in Osun State.
More important to Aregbesola, was his claims that the Oyetola administration went all out to undo and erase all his footprints and legacies of eight years in the state. The administration vehemently denied the charge, explaining that all policy decisions taken by the administration were informed by popular demand and the yearning of the people of the state.
The administration had revised some of the education policies of the Aregbesola era which had generated controversies and elicited outright resentment on the part of the public.
Supporters and sympathizers of the minister moved to form a political pressure group called The Osun Progressives and soon became a faction of the party. It held parallel congresses in the state and produced its executives and put forward an aspirant for the July governorship election.
In a fiery speech in the run-up to the primary election, Aregbesola, who did not for once mention Tinubu’s name, however, hit him hard in a manner never seen before. He promised to administer the same treatment meted out to a former Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, which foreclosed his re-election bid in 2019, to Governor Gboyega.
Aregbesola, who spoke in Ijebu Ijesa, Osun State, while addressing party faithful and stakeholders in the state, x-rayed the political situation in Osun State, and submitted that the leader has abused his leadership position to the point of assuming a god complex.
“I’m happy that we sent for you all and you honoured our invitation. Those we specifically asked to be invited here are party leaders from the ward level to the state. They are the critical stakeholders and I’m certain they are the ones here.
“However, if we have to throw the cards open and start all over again, this party is ours. Let me repeat myself for clarity: this is the core Afenifere – a progressive group that genuinely loves the people, the society and also loves itself. I’m not talking about cosmestised good. This is Awolowo’s group; it is Bola Ige’s group. It is also Baba Akande’s group, before he partly left us.
“There’s no latter-day member here. Everyone here started with us from day one. Even if some had left at some point, we knew why they left. There’s no one here, who did not suffer with us. That’s the summary of my submission; that they have returned to where they’ve always belonged, and to also return the party to where it should be, because we had hitherto followed the instructions of our leader, whom we thought was true to type.
“We followed and served this leader with all our might. In fact, our loyalty to him had caused some people to start wondering if we were no longer Muslims. But we were with him and served him according to the admonition of our forefathers, who said when serving anyone, we should do so with sincerity and loyalty; that if you regard anyone as your principal, you must serve him wholeheartedly.
“Sadly, we didn’t know that while we wished him well, he didn’t think good of us. However, because we placed him higher than where he ordinarily should be, he started to think he is our god. Unfortunately, for him, we had sworn to God that whoever compares himself to Him, we’d beg Him to bring down such a fellow.”
Aregbesola vowed to stop Oyetola’s second term ambition, saying “I heard they said they wanted to go for a second term; that will not happen. I have given Ileri Oluwa to Moshood Adeoti.”
Governor Oyetola fired back through his media aide that Aregbesola is not God and only the will of God would be done in Osun State.
In the primary, Gboyega trounced Adeoti to emerge the flag bearer of the party, a development the group loyal to Aregbesola faulted as skewed and rigged against it.
As the peace initiative and reconciliation process continues, whether it will achieve its ultimate goal of reuniting, reconciling and reinvigorating the party can only be determined by time.
