I never knew the governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke, could exhibit such a behavioural pattern in this life and even in life to come. Never!
If I had not been in the company of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, I could never have believed that a governor could do this to a former governor of the same state. However, they are of different party affiliations.
It was very unexpected. I am very sure that Tuesday, 27 March 2023, will never be deleted from the memory of the former governor of Osun State, His Excellency, Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, who is the current Minister of Interior in Nigeria, and some of us his friends, aides, and political associates, who accompanied him to the inauguration of the Passport Production/Front Desk Office of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, Ilesa, Osun State.
If anyone had warned and foretold him that he would be treated and washed with avalanche and humongous, vicious embarrassment right in his state and in his town, Ilesa, by the state governor, who is not from his party, he would have told the diviner to drop the prediction in Osun Osogbo River.
Nothing ever signposted that the maverick former governor of Osun State, regarded as one of the best-performing ministers in Buhari’s cabinet, would be subjected to such an unforgettable, humbled moment in his life.
For this is a state which he has not visited in the last two years, primarily because of national assignments and, majorly, because of the double jeopardy threat emanating from his immediate successor, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, a man who belongs to the same party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), with him; a man who served Aregbesola as his Chief of Staff (CoS) for eight years, and who people then believed that he, Oyetola, was the defacto governor, while he Aregbe, was dejure. And a man, who people believe, Aregbesola did all things humanly possible (legal or illegal) to make a governor and a worthy successor.
However, the double jeopardy threat for Aregbesola was immediately after Oyetola was sworn in. He declared his predecessor, Aregbesola, who did everything ‘conceivable’ on earth to make him the governor. This sworn enemy must be politically crucified, smashed, crumbled, suffocated, crushed, despised, hated, killed and buried.
And a man whose legacies they planted together must be subtracted, extracted, stamped out, deducted, and deleted eternally from the face of Osun State and blotted in the citizens’ memories.
Not only that, all those who are close associates of Aregbesola, either remotely or closely, must be excommunicated from the political administration and sharing of compensations, no matter their immeasurable contributions to the party.
It was an operation to extinguish, decapitate, and eliminate Aregbesola politically, crush him socially, and relegate him to the background in the political relevance space of Osun State.
Thus, all major policies, legacies, projects, decisions, and resolutions passed by the government of Aregbesola, in which Oyetola, was the defacto governor were reversed by Oyetola, with the hope that these will whittle down Aregbesola’s political influence.
Realizing the futility of his crude strategies against Aregbesola, which turned out like tying climbers around an Iroko tree with the hope of truncating its growth—did ti won fi ndi Iroko, ara lo nfi san – he, Oyetola, inebriated by power, declared Ogbeni persona non grata in the state as if he has the power to enjoy such prodigal illegality
Aregbesola, being a statesman and a nationalist, and not wanting to endanger the lives of his supporters in the state, particularly those who have been sidetracked, emasculated, and cut off in the political jobbing in the state, technically applied wisdom and checkmated his voyage to the state, as the proverbial Oniyangi and Elepo encounter.
Aregbesola, as a political pundit of many years standing, has more to lose and protect than someone who is just a gratuitous tourist in Osun politics, who was fortunate to be made a governor.
Suppose Aregbesola has been mindful of visiting his state when his own appointed candidate was there, a man God used him to plant in the saddle of power. In that case, he should be extraordinarily careful to venture into the arena, when the state is now under the rule of an opposition fellow, a young what’s guy, who can dance from Lagos to Atlanta, Georgia!
However, the national assignment must be accomplished as the project to be inaugurated is planted by the Nigerian Immigration Service, a parastatal under the Ministry of Interior, which Aregbesola superintends over.
Hence, the Office of the Minister did not send an invitation to the Office of the Osun State Governor.
Aregbesola may have considered surreptitiously entering Ilesa, but his personality, aura, charm, accomplishments in the state, and interactive traits are characteristics that cannot be overlooked.
As his convoy, which made the Ibadan-Ilesha road at under 100 kilometres per hour, meandered into Wesley Hospital in-let road to Ilesa, via his residence, located in the Amuta area, the people trooped out wildly in their hundreds to acknowledge and applaud his presence.
After observing a prayer session in his mosque, Aregbesola attended to the deluge of visitors, some of who later joined his convoy to the newly constructed Passport Production/Front Desk Centre of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Ilesa.
Aregbesola, who enjoyed a triumphant welcome at the venue was in his usual manner enthusiastic and excited, he was unaware that a bogus embarrassment would be meted upon him by the time the brand-new governor of the state, Senator Adeleke, who has been invited by the workaholic Comptroller-General of Immigration, Alhaji Jere Idris, would arrive.
The arrival of Governor Adeleke at the venue raised the excitement beyond expectation, as the wild shouting of ‘Imole De’ rented the air space.
Governor Adeleke commenced his onslaught of embarrassment on former Governor Aregbesola, immediately he alighted from his car.
Instead of copiously and excitedly acknowledging the cheers from the multitude of people praising him, he gaited like a full-blown Olympic football, was bounced by Segun Odegbami at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan, and charged towards Ogbeni Aregbesola as if he were about to engage him in a duel!
And just before the glare of everyone, the governor of Osun State, Adeleke, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, publicly launched the first embarrassment at Ogbeni Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun State, a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by rejecting to shake hand with him, or hugging him, but instead stoutly displayed to the world that he is a cosmopolitan, international and a first-class thoroughbred Yoruba man, who has no temperament to shake a former governor of his state, but rather must give honour to who deserves it by doing it in the Yoruba way – half prostration, because of the space and a dignifying bowing down for Minister Aregbesola before other courtesies like handshaking!!!
If Aregbesola thought that was the end of the embarrassment, subsequent verbal lashing from Governor Adeleke must have shocked Aregbesola beyond his imagination.
Governor Adeleke described Aregbesola as the pride of Osun State, of whom he and the generality of Osun indigenes are proud, both when he was governor of the state and as a minister.
He told Aregesola that he is a distinguished and eminent Osun icon who deserves to be cherished, honoured, pampered and adored. Governor Adeleke said that no one can ban Aregbesola from entering his state whenever he wishes.
He assured Aregbesola of his immense respect and could knock on the door of the governor’s house any time.
Governor Adeleke commended Aregbesola for all the projects planned, executed and completed during his tenure. He assured him that his government would complete all the projects that were ongoing during Aregbesola’s last tenure, but his predecessor, Oyetola, abandoned and refused to complete them.
Governor Adeleke praised Aregbesola for constructing a suitable Governor’s Lodge for Osun, a location that Oyetola actively avoided.
He assured him that he would not only complete the project but that Aregbesola would also declare it opened and be the first to sleep in it!
Governor Adeleke praised Aregbesola for doing extremely well in the Interior Ministry and thank him for facilitating the Passport Production and Front Office of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Osun State.
He described Aregbesola as the foremost progressive-minded politician who never used party affiliation to google development.
As part of honouring Aregbesola, Governor Adeleke attended the event with his son, his deputy, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, the Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), and top executive members of his government.
Capping the embarrassment, Governor Adeleke lured Aregbesola into a dancing competition, which thrilled the guests and people unendingly. They praised the duo for an unimaginable show of maturity, equanimity, thirst for development, and a sign of good fortunes for Osun State.
As someone remarked, “This is the finest moment in Osun. A day when a governor from an opposing party publicly bestowed on a former governor, a deserving honour that his successor in office from the same party and a man who he brought to power through all means refused to. It only shows that Governor Adeleke is not an ‘omo alaijoberi’ like his predecessor in office, who allowed the stupidity of greatness to becloud his sense of reasoning. Oyetola quickly forgot his source of luck, but like a foolish man, exhibited ingratitude…such men always die wretched, while people like Governor Adeleke will not only soar above imagination but will always be a conqueror.
‘Gedegbe low Ademola Adeleke a yo ju ori e lo.’
Thanks for reading about the mental and emotional embarrassment that Governor Adeleke subjected Ogbeni Aregbesola, former governor of Osun State and the performing Minister of Interior in Ilesha.
*Ojo-Lanre sent in this piece from Ibipeju Oniru Chamber, Upper Ogudu River, Irede Estate, Temidire Street, Usi-Ekiti.
08033490986.
