OSUN: Akande, Tinubu settle ‘rift’ between Oyetola, Aregbesola

A FORMER interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, and the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Thursday met Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, and his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, behind closed doors.

The meeting, which lasted about three hours, took place at the country home of Chief Bisi Akande in Ila-Orangun.

Naija Times’ correspondent reported that Aregbesola and his successor left the venue of the meeting immediately in the same vehicle.

Akande and Tinubu were said to have left the place in a helicopter.

None of them spoke to journalists after the meeting.

But an aide to Akande, Mr Lani Baderinwa, said the Minister of Interior, Aregbesola, was in the former APC leaders’s residence as part of his civic engagement as directed by President Buhari.

Baderinwa said, “He has to come with the current governor. Whatever is the core of their discussion is not open to me.

Incidentally, Asiwaju (Tinubu) as usual, who comes randomly without anybody knowing he was around, happened to be here too.”

Similarly, a statement posted on Aregbesola’s Twitter handle read in part, “Earlier today, I arrived the @StateofOsun with my entourage from the @MinofInteriorNG to begin my Stakeholders’
Engagement Meeting with different stakeholders in the state as directed by President @MBuhari.

“Our entourage paid a courtesy visit to our leader and father, Baba Bisi Akande, alongside Governor of the @StateofOsun, Alhaji @GboyegaOyetola in Ila Orangun. Baba advised us on #Endsars, insecurity amongst other issues!”

It has been widely speculated that the relationship between Oyetola and his predecessor in office, Aregbesola, has turned frosty recently.

Though both of them have not spoken on the purported rift between them, it is believed that the rift may not be unconnected with the decision of Oyetola to reverse or completely dispense with some of the policies made by Aregbesola during his time in office.