In a dramatic twist to the lingering crisis between the Interior Minister, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and his political godson, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, a top-level peacemaker has waded in, FirstNews can confirm.
Aregbesola is the immediate past governor of Osun and Oyetola was his Chief of Staff, but the duo has parted ways, owing to political differences and other reasons.
But at the weekend, a fresh breeze of peace blew on the hostility as Chief Pius Akinyelure, a tight friend of the National Leader of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, intervened.
Tinubu and Akinyelure worked together in Mobil Oil giant many years ago.
Akinyelure and Aregbesola on Thursday met at a sideline in the latter’s Abuja office, and the former begged on behalf of Oyetola, a competent source who witnessed the scene told FirstNews.
“Actually, Akinyelure was there for two purposes: first, to see how Aregbesola could come close to Tinubu as it was observed that the two had not been too close again; then, to appeal to Aregbesola to forgive Oyetola for whatever might have been the governor’s undoing,” the source hinted.
It was gathered that when the two issues were tabled, Aregbesola became calm on the Tinubu matter and simply said “No problem, Asiwaju is my boss and we will not have issues that will warrant getting a resolution.”
But on the Oyetola engaging him in a battle of wits, he reportedly dithered, then smiled and looked straight ahead in deep contemplation, saying, “Let’s close the chapter”.
Eventually, however, Akinyelure and his team, through persistence, extracted a promise from Aregbesola to “let bygones be bygones.”
Governor Oyetola is a nephew to Tinubu, the powerful former Lagos State governor and Osun-born national political dynamo.
Already, the Osun hostility has streamed to the Lagos political circles as Aregbesola’s political structures in Alimosho and other localities have reportedly been hijacked on ‘orders from above’.
In the meantime too, both Housing Minister and former Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, and Aregbesola have reportedly distanced themselves from the Tinubu camp in the buildup to the 2023 general elections.
However, the peace initiative on the Osun conundrum, observers contend, is more dictated by the need for Oyetola to survive any political gang-up that may cost him a second term victory come next year, than by any other consideration.
Latching in on the Aregbesola/Oyetola feud, however, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship hopeful who was candidate in the last election, Mr. Ademola Adeleke, has reportedly been making consultations with top figures in the Aregbesola camp of the APC, which portends ill wind.