Ooni, Alaafin wade into rift between Aregbesola, Tinubu

Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, and Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo, met with Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, on Tuesday.

The meeting is connected to the expected reconciliation between Aregbesola and Bola Tinubu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

TheCable understands that Aregbesola met with the high-ranking Yoruba monarchs at one of the private residences of the Alaafin.

Over the past few years, Tinubu and Aregbesola have been at loggerheads — a feud that worsened in the build-up to the Osun APC governorship primary election.

According to an insider in the Oyo monarch’s palace, the meeting was convened to put an end to the acrimony between the politicians who had enjoyed a cordial political relationship since 1999.

The source said both parties are keen on setting aside their differences in the interest of Osun state and the south-west.

“Calls from all well-meaning persons of influence across political and religious circuits on Tinubu and Aregbesola to tow the path of peace and reconcile appear to be yielding positive results with the meeting called by these high ranking monarchs and the attendance of the meeting by Aregbesola,” the source said.

“As things unfold, it appears that the needed peace and harmony is beginning to return to the progressive fold and the APC in the south-west will get even stronger ahead of the Osun election.”

TheCable had earlier reported that plans were underway to facilitate Tinubu and Aregbesola’s reconciliation.

The reunion of the one-time “political brothers” is expected to be witnessed by south-west traditional rulers and prominent members of the Muslim community.

In June 2020, TheCable reported that the relationship between the duo had turned sour — but they both denied the report.

The rift began in May 2020, when Aregbesola arbitrarily revamped the Mandate Group — a core of Tinubu’s loyalists — and usurped the closely-knitted caucus for individuals he could trust.

On February 14, 2022, Aregbesola, while speaking at Oriade LGA of Osun, aimed a shot at Tinubu, saying the former Lagos governor was exalted “beyond his status and he turned himself to a god over us”.