Senator Ademola Adeleke, Governor-elect of Osun State, has admitted that some associates of All Progressive Congress (APC) party chieftain and Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, supported him during the state’s recent governorship election.
Ademola stated that while some of Aregbesola’s allies may have joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and worked for his victory, it is not clear that the minister orchestrated their moves.
Ademola made this disclosure in a pre-recorded interview that aired on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday night.
Adeleke stated that he does not work or speak with Aregbesola, but has had discussions with a few of the minister’s associates, including Kolapo Alimi, a commissioner under Aregbesola’s administration.
What the Osun State Governor-elect is saying
In response to a question about Aregbesola’s support for the PDP, Adeleke stated, “I did not work with Aregbesola.” I didn’t even speak with him; all I know are his associates, such as Kolapo Alimi, one of the lawyers who represented Oyetola at the tribunal.”
“Then, because I’m a civilised person, whenever I saw him (Alimi) in court, I would go to them and greet them and ask ‘how are you doing?'” Later, he apologised, saying, “He was thinking, ‘Why is Senator Adeleke greeting me?” We’re attempting to confuse him, and he’s still greeting me.’
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“However, he later told me that while I was greeting him, I had no idea I was poisoning them.” They knew I won the election, so they rigged it, and I was still greeting them. I believe Aregbesola and Oyetola split up.
“He (Alimi) approached me and said he had watched me and wanted to join our party, which we accepted.” But Aregbesola? No. But we know a lot of top APC members who joined.
“If I had been speaking with Aregbesola in some capacity, I would say that he may have given them permission to support me.”
“These people have matured; they have their own minds to decide whether or not to join me. They came to me because they believed I was the one to beat. I won’t know whether Aregbesola gave them the go-ahead or not because I haven’t talked to Aregbesola.”
On the fight between Oyetola and Aregbesola, the governor-elect thanked God for the development while admitting that the conflict paved the way for his victory.
“I said God is good,” he said. These are the individuals who conspired at the time (Aregbesola and Oyetola). They were together. Kolapo Alimi revealed to me that they had robbed me. Even the president stated when he arrived here that they won the election by remote control.”
Senator Ademola Adeleke, the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate, was declared the winner of the hotly contested Osun State governorship election earlier on Sunday, with a total of 403,371 votes, beating his closest challenger, the APC candidate, Governor Oyetola, who received 375,027 votes to finish second.
Adeleke finished second in the 2018 governorship election in Osun state, losing to incumbent governor Oyetola in a runoff election after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the polls inconclusive.
Despite the fact that the election results were challenged in court, the Supreme Court upheld Oyetola’s election as governor of the state in July 2019.
During the campaign, Governor Oyetola and Aregbesola clashed over the APC’s control of Osun state. The minister was also absent during the party’s campaign in the state and did not vote in the election.
Some political analysts attribute APC’s defeat in the election to the feud between the two leaders and the party hierarchy’s inability to resolve the dispute.
