AREGBESOLA LOVED TINUBU MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE, SAYS ADEYEYE

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By: Muftau Fatimo

Former Osun Central Senator, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye, has said that few people loved President Bola Tinubu as much as former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, did during their time as political allies.

Adeyeye made the remarks while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday.

Speaking about the relationship between Tinubu and Aregbesola, the former lawmaker described the bond between the two former allies as unusually strong before their political differences emerged.

When asked whether Tinubu misses having Aregbesola in his political circle, Adeyeye said the President might not publicly acknowledge it, but suggested that the relationship between the two was significant.

According to Adeyeye, Aregbesola’s loyalty and affection towards Tinubu were exceptional during the period they worked closely together politically.

Adeyeye made the remarks while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday.

Speaking about the relationship between Tinubu and Aregbesola, the former lawmaker described the bond between the two former allies as unusually strong before their political differences emerged.

According to Adeyeye, Aregbesola’s loyalty and affection towards Tinubu were exceptional during the period they worked closely together politically.

I don’t think he (Tinubu) will admit it, but I am sure he does. I say this because I don’t know anyone who loved Asiwaju as much as Rauf did, and I don’t know anyone who would go to any extent for Rauf as Asiwaju did. That is the truth.

“They were intended for each other. As a rule, nobody told me this. When I came back from the US, I had had a relationship with Asiwaju while he was in exile.

“When I came back, I saw that this magnitude of relationship was such that I told myself I would never go outside of Rauf to see Asiwaju because I didn’t want Rauf to be threatened by me. I also didn’t want Asiwaju to think that I was trying to undermine Rauf.

Adeyeye, who served in the Senate while Aregbesola was governor of Osun State, said he maintained a close political relationship with the former governor and regularly consulted him on political matters.

He said Aregbesola was aware of his activities as a senator and that he sought the former governor’s approval on several issues.

“In fact, whatever I did as a Senator, Rauf knew. I took his permission for many things,” Adeyeye said.

He also spoke about Aregbesola’s current political affiliation with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he serves as National Secretary, noting that former Senate President David Mark is the party’s National Chairman.

Adeyeye said he knew both Aregbesola and Mark and was familiar with their political relationship during their years in public service.

“I also know how Rauf felt about David Mark and how Mark felt about Rauf in those years,” he said.

The former senator further recalled an incident in the Senate when 17 of the 18 senators from the South-West opposed a ministerial nominee, but the nominee was eventually confirmed.

“I knew when 17 out of 18 South-West senators rejected a nominee for a ministerial appointment and how Mark ensured that the same nominee was passed contrary to the convention. I was in the Senate,” Adeyeye added.

“So if Rauf and Mark are now the best of political allies, that’s what life brings. Politics makes strange bedfellows,” he stated.

Aregbesola, a former Minister of Interior, is currently the National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, whose National Chairman is former Senate President David Mark.

Reflecting on the strained relationship between Tinubu and Aregbesola, Adeyeye said he had previously made efforts to reconcile the two former allies.

He said, “I had done my best to resolve whatever crisis of confidence that had arisen between the two people. I have never heard anybody in politics who has a higher esteem for the man who is now our President than Rauf Aregbesola. He loved him

“In fact, as far as Rauf is concerned, the only person who takes precedence over him is God himself. But the Yoruba also say that 20 children do not play for 20 years. Things do happen in life; friends part, sometimes they come back again.”

Aregbesola was closely associated with Tinubu’s political camp in Lagos, serving as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure when Tinubu was governor of Lagos State.

He later secured the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket in Osun and became governor in 2010 after a prolonged legal battle.

Their relationship subsequently deteriorated amid political disagreements in Osun, particularly over the succession of Aregbesola.

President Bola Tinubu supported Gboyega Oyetola, who previously served as Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff, in the 2018 Osun State governorship election.

However, political differences between Tinubu and Aregbesola became more pronounced ahead of the 2022 governorship election, eventually leading Aregbesola and his supporters to distance themselves from the APC structure in the state.

Aregbesola later joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has been repositioning ahead of the 2027 general elections.