REWIND: How TheCable reported the cold war between Tinubu, Aregbesola in 2020

In June 2020, TheCable reported that a webbed fissure had begun running through the cordial relationship between Bola Tinubu and Rauf Aregbesola, but the political “brothers”, as they called themselves, denied the report with strong words as their rackets.

TheCable had reported that 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.

The former Osun governor sanctioned the relaunch without Tinubu’s approval, naming Abdullahi Enilolobo, his protege from Alimosho LGA, as the new leader, while he remained the grand patron of the group.

The move birthed a torpedo within the caucus and the Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC), which eventually tore down the Mandate Group.

A subsequent communique signed by 27 party chieftains, who are members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), had said: “It was unequivocally resolved that all factions like Justice Group and Mandate Group are inimical to party unity and are hereby permanently disbanded and prohibited within the party.”

TheCable had also reported that the then-brewing rift between Aregbesola and Tinubu was worsened by Gboyega Oyetola’s actions as the governor of Osun.

Although Oyetola served as chief of staff to Aregbesola during his tenure as Osun governor, he is related to Tinubu and more loyal to the former Lagos state governor.

Upon assuming office, Oyetola reversed some of the decisions taken during the Aregbesola administration, further deepening the severing of the umbilical cord between the political “brothers”.

TINUBU, AREGBSOLA DISMISSED THECABLE’S REPORT

Aregbesola was first to deny TheCable’s report; he described the story as “sponsored” and maintained that the relaunch of Mandate Group was to help his “political mentor”.

The minister said it was “impossible” for him to have a rift with the former Lagos governor.

Tinubu followed up with his own rebuttal of the report.

In a thread on his official Twitter handle, he claimed there was no cold war between him and Aregbesola.

He described the report as “a figment of imagination” while adding that the GAC disbanded the Mandate Group to “promote discipline, harmony and cohesion and engender party supremacy”.

‘POLITICAL BROTHERHOOD’ COLLAPSES

Fast forward to February 2022, with the Osun APC gubernatorial primary election approaching, the feud between the duo had become conspicuous.

The chinks of a few years ago had worsened into cracks, then widened into crevices that threatened to shatter the relationship into smithereens. 

Aregbesola demonstrated the collapse of his “brotherhood” with Tinubu while speaking in Oriade LGA of Osun on a campaign trail for Moshood Adeoti, his anointed candidate for the APC guber ticket.

The minister launched tirades of verbal assaults at Tinubu.

He said Tinubu was exalted “beyond his status, and he turned himself to a god over us”.

Aregbesola added that Oyetola would be ousted from office for failing to stick to the plan that would make Osun prosperous.

“We came back home to reposition our party to where it was meant to be because we followed the lead of our leader that we thought was a noble and reliable fellow. We followed him (Tinubu) dutifully with all sense of loyalty,” he said.

“Some people even thought that we were no longer Muslims because of how we cooperated with him. We dealt with him without treachery, but we never knew he planned evil for us.

“We exalted him beyond his status, and he turned himself to a god over us, and we had sworn to ridicule anyone who compared himself to God.

“When he (Tinubu) handed over the present governor to me around July of 2018, he (Tinubu) declared that he (Oyetola) will succeed me and continue my good works. That was what he told me. He knows he has not done so if he is listening now, and he has failed to call my successor to order.

“That was how it was in Lagos at a time; a governor derailed, and the party members unseated him using the ballot boxes. As it was in Lagos yesterday, so shall it be in Osun today.

“What is good for the goose is also good for the gander.”

AREGBESOLA HUMBLED AT OSUN APC PRIMARY

During the primary election on Saturday, the Aregbesola-led faction condemned the exercise as “a fraudulent process” designed “to favour Governor Adegboyega Oyetola”.

Later, the minister, himself, also came out to describe the primary as a “sham of an election”.

The allegations didn’t stop AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Kwara state governor and chairman of the Osun APC primary election committee, from announcing Oyetola as the winner of the primary election in the early hours of Sunday.

Oyetola polled 222,169 votes while Adeoti was a distant second with 12,921 votes.

The simmering feud between the two since 2020 has now aggravated into a full-blown war, with Aregbesola taking the first hit.

Will this protracted battle completely shatter the relationship between the long-time political allies?