Osun: Accusations, Counteraccusations As Ismail Omipidan’s Write-Up Returns Attention To Aregbesola-Oyetola Feud
A political group in the Osun state APC, the Omoluabi Progressives Caucus on Monday raised the alarm and alleged that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has gotten a death threat from Mr. Gboyega Oyetola’s media aide, Mr. Ismail Omipidan., while calling the attention of ‘the law enforcement agencies and all responsible individuals’ to the fact that the former minister is in mortal danger.
Recall that loyalists of Aregbesola , ,who were members of the defunct The Osun Progressives (TOP) had converged on Ilesa in August last year to launch the new group.
The development recorded on Monday however easily returned attention to a particular topic; the 5-year ‘political feud’ involving Aregbesola and Oyetola, and this has actually become a ‘topical issue’ on social media and people have been discussing and making their thoughts known on the schism in the state APC and the current political situation in the state.
Aregbesola , who served as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in Lagos state, later served as governor of Osun state between 2010 and 2018.
He was also the Minister of Interior during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term while Oyetola served as Chief of Staff under Aregbesola and also emerged as his successor in 2018 .
He is currently the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
Ahead of the 2022 Osun state governorship election, the intraparty conflict in the state APC had made the two prominent Osun citizens part ways and the former Interior minister is believed to have worked against Oyetola’s re-election bid.
The Omoluabi Progressives Caucus in a statement issued by its Organizing and Publicity Secretary, Oluwaseun Abosede on Monday, asserted that the former minister has received a death threat while making reference to Mr. Ismail Omipidan’s write-up as evidence.
This latest threat , the group noted, would not be ignored cognizant of alleged previous attacks on Aregbesola and his loyalists.
‘Yet with the feeling of self-importance, he continues to wage war against the structure that brought him into the limelight. But let me say for the umpteenth time that if Aregbesola continues his political war against the party and persons that brought him to political reckoning, he may not survive it’ the Omoluabi Progressive Caucus quoted Omipidan to have submitted in the controversial write-up.
‘An article came out recently from the immediate past governor of Osun state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola’s media aide, Ismail Omipidan, titled ‘What does Aregbesola want from Oyetola?’
We urgently drew the attention of the law enforcement agencies and all responsible individuals to the evident and explicit threats against the life and freedom of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, clearly expressed in this hostile narrative.
Omipidan’s assertions betrayed a deeper and more insidious conspiracy and subterfuge by his sponsors. For context, Omipidan and his sponsors are not only playing God which they are grossly incompetent and unqualified to do, but they are certainly hatching a very dangerous, sinister, and diabolical plan against Aregbesola, which must not be overlooked’ the statement added.
Reacting to the death threat that Aregbesola allegedly received from the APC bigwigs in the state with an accusing finger pointed at him, Mr. Ismail Omipidan in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com described this as malicious and unguarded while asserting that he has ‘no history of political violence’.
Omipidan also submitted that it may actually be a ploy to stop him from initiating a defamation lawsuit against the Osun Defender Newspaper while also launching counteraccusations and alleging that those who had raised the alarm may in actual sense have a sinister plan.
‘Only an unstable mind and character would accuse a person of my standing, who in the last two decades has no record of political violence of allegedly threatening to kill a former governor, and a former minister.
As a journalist, my records of service in all the states that I have practiced are open books. Those accusing me are only trying to dress me in a borrowed robe. They know those who are in the habit of using extrajudicial means by deploying non-state actors to deal mercilessly with perceived opponents.
If this strategy is aimed at preventing me from pressing charges against Osun Defender and its reporters for lying against me, it has failed. I will press charges. It is going to be a long battle, but I am prepared for it in Sha Allah.
Finally, let me use this opportunity to urge the security agents to be on the alert because my accusers might be the ones actually plotting something sinister against themselves and might just be looking for an alibi’ he added.
A political pundit, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has described this as a worrisome development while urging politicians in the country not to play politics with important and sensitive issues.
‘A death threat is a serious and heavy accusation that the security agencies must attach importance to , it should therefore not be raised for fun. Every discerning mind knows that the writer had meant that Aregbesola may not survive it politically and not that it will result in his death .
Omipidan is an experienced journalist and he will not make such a serious mistake . Those who have done interpretative journalism are aware that it was not a death threat. I urge politicians not to play politics with such a matter because when there is a real death threat the security agencies may not take it seriously and they will just say ‘ the politicians have come with their wahala again’.
We should please avoid things that can make the security agents introduce a note of levity when such an allegation is raised in future’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
