Osun: Aregbesola’s camp, Omoluabi Group drifting towards political oblivion – Former lawmaker, Festus Komolafe

The immediate past lawmaker representing Atakunmosa East/Atakunmosa West State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, Babatunde Festus Komolafe, has described the Omoluabi Caucus, led by former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, as a group sinking into political oblivion.

Komolafe, who stated that there is no faction in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also criticized the recent anti-party activities of the group’s members, whom the party leadership has accused of intending to damage their image.

The former lawmaker made this known while speaking at the 4th edition of the Oyetola Hand of Fellowship on Sunday in Modakeke.

Decrying the damage caused by the group, he stressed that the antics of the group’s members had been subdued by the high sense of commitment, dedication, and resoluteness of the genuine members of the Osun APC.

He appealed to the loyalists of the party to remain resolute and to resist any overtures from the group, adding that the door was still open for sincere reconciliation for those who are ready to rejoin the party.

“I want to reiterate that our party is one united entity and that there is no faction or division. You may be hearing from some people who call themselves different names under the guise of our platform. I want to tell you that we don’t have any factions in our party.

“Also, you might have seen some people calling themselves Omoluabi. I want to tell you that none of them could be more Omoluabi than all of us here. They are a bunch of mischief-makers deceiving people with sugar-coated words to lure them into their destructive adventure, having failed several times with their sinister tendencies to decimate the party from the bottom up.

“We are aware of their antics. We have realized that many of them have been spreading lies here and there to deceive unsuspecting members of the public, just as they did in the last elections.

“They pretended to be with us but voted and worked against the party. Many of them have forgotten that nothing goes unpunished. If our party were in government today in the state, many would have been senators, members of the House of Representatives, members of the House of Assembly, chairmen, and councilors, among others, but they chose to pull down the ladder that often aided them to the limelight.

“It is becoming obvious that they are drifting toward the path of irredeemable destruction, and I want to appeal to you all not to allow yourselves to be lured or induced by whatever means or used for the implementation of their destructive motives. Surreptitiously, they deceived many and betrayed the party, forgetting that there is a reward for betrayers. This is not a curse; it is a response to their antics.

“By the grace of God, we are coming back to government in 2026. So, this information is essential to you all because coming back to government is a collective effort. That is why it is incumbent on every one of us to work together as an indivisible progressive family; a formidable and unsurpassable entity to send the present government in the state packing come 2026.

“So, let’s be wary of them. Don’t allow them with their antics anymore. They have already lost their grip, relevance, and values politically. However, the doors of the party are widely open for genuine reconciliation and for some of them who are sincerely ready to rejoin the party. Let’s welcome them genuinely when they come. We are open to reconciliation at all levels.”

DAILY POST recalled that former governor Aregbesola had formed a new political group, the Omoluabi Caucus, in August 2023.

At the inauguration, Aregbesola, who is the past Minister of Interior, also restated his commitment to progressive ideals and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, even as he stated that political parties are an amalgamation of different interests and tendencies.

Describing the Omoluabi Caucus as one of the many caucuses in the state, the former two-term governor of Osun noted that the caucus is not a faction of the party, but a union of like-minded individuals in the state.

Members of the caucus at the inauguration were drawn from each of the 332 wards in the state and were represented by five members from each of the local government areas in the state.

In another development, the Oranmiyan House office of Aregbesola along the Gbongan-Ibadan road in Osogbo wore a new look as the pictures of President Bola Tinubu and Bisi Akande were removed from the building in May.

They were replaced by the pictures of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Bola Ige.