For Bola Tinubu, His Nemesis Is A One-time Close Ally

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the former Lagos state governor described by many as the kingmaker in the commercial capital, the quest for the presidency has thrown him into the open and even former allies are not sparing in their attacks.

There is a preponderance of critics who are waiting to take a dig into a man variously called Jagaban, lion of Bourdillon, the strongman of Lagos.

Now, a former ally and Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has launched a scathing attack on his erstwhile national leader of the All Progressives Congress.

Mr. Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun State, while addressing party loyalists in Ijebu-jesa on Monday, said he acquiesced to Mr. Tinubu’s handpicked candidate as his successor in 2018 because it was agreed that he would continue the legacies he laid.

Upon assumption of office, however, Governor Gboyega Oyetola failed to keep the agreement, according to the minister.

Mr. Aregbesola said the same treatment Mr. Tinubu and his group meted out to former Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, will be given to Mr. Oyetola because “he had derailed from the master plan too.”

“That was how it was in Lagos at a time; a governor derailed and the party members unseated him using the ballot boxes,” said Mr. Aregbesola, addressing his supporters in Yoruba language.

“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,” he said.

“Only God can terrify us, not man. Go and tell them wherever they are, we own this party. We own this Afenifere group. We own this people-loving group started by our patriarchs Obafemi Awolowo and Bola Ige. This was Elder Akande’s group before he temporarily left us.

“This is our party. Stop calling yourself a factional group; you are not a faction; you are the authentic APC.”

In the middle of his speech, the minister launched a song that was, apparently, targeted at Mr. Tinubu and his successor to drive home his point. He sang “Bye-bye to jagba-jagba, bye-bye to rede rede” (which means; bye-bye to nonsense).

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

“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 compares himself to God. God has no competitor; He is enough to be God.

“We built this party on perseverance as well as sweat and blood. We lost a lot of people in this struggle but eventually, we came into government on November 27, 2010. We were in government for eight years and governed according to the measure of God’s grace, everybody in Osun enjoyed our tenure.”