RAUF AREGBESOLA: AN UNWORTHY MISCREANT IN POWER

Fate and destiny may be unquestionable, but oftentimes, there are fatal accidents, the consequences of which can be devastating to the society.

Rauf Aregbesola is one example of a fatal accident; a misfit in the foyer of politics and the corridors of power.

As a Muslim who concedes that the Almighty Allah designs all things for HIS intent and purpose, one is resigned to the infinitum of HIS power.

Otherwise, it begs the question how one who in the ordinary sense ought to be among the lowest of scums found himself at the buffet table.

It is safe to say unequivocally that with all of the grace that Aregbesola has enjoyed, the underserved privileges that have marked his ascension into the circle of reckoning, he is still a mongrel fit only for dark lonely streets while feeding from dustbins.

For how does one reconcile the uncouth, unrefined and tasteless attitudes he has displayed consistently over the years with the privileges he has enjoyed as a former Commissioner in Lagos State, a two term former Governor of Osun State and a current Minister under the present government.

It is said that maturity MUST NECESSARILY DEFINE CHARACTER AND ATTITUDES AT CERTAIN POINTS IN ONES LIFE. We should wonder if Rauf Aregbesola is unteachable, dumb or simply recalcitrant.

A miscreant and vagabond who has perpetually turned himself into a nuisance and an embarrassment to the very people whose magnanimity he has enjoyed over the years.

He has at every opportunity taken to attacking the person of Senator Iyiola Omisore, mostly out of envy and bitterness.

Indeed, if we were to take it from the basics, would Rauf Aregbesola be fit to actually sit at table with Iyiola Omisore? I make bold to answer in the negative.

As the Yoruba people say: ‘If the hunter had not emboldened the dog, will it dare stare the Leopard in the eye?’ I would say it wouldn’t, not without ending up in the belle of the spotted king of the jungle.

In here, lie the crux of the matter. Rauf Aregbesola having been elevated from servitude to the master of the floor; a pure accident of fate, has long thrown caution and decorum to the wild.

In so doing, he himself has become a wild dog whose bark disturbs the peace of the night and rightly ought to be castrated to remind him of humility.

It is sad to acknowledge that when a serf is elevated to the position of a true born, he often loses his sense of reasoning.

Rauf Aregbesola was only fit to hold the door for Iyiola Omisore as he passes by, head bowed in submission and eyes cast down in total respect.

This history is not aeons ago, it was just yesterday.

Suffice to say that no matter how one wishes to rewrite history, no matter where one may later find himself in life, his real truth is where he began even when his realities may have changed.

Rauf Aregbesola claims to be a child of Bola Ige!

It is a claim that churns the stomach because were the Cicero to be alive today, the likes of Aregbesola will only be fit for the purpose for which they were called to table either in Osun State politics or the Nation at large.

He would at best have been an errand boy and his ‘Yes Sirs!’ would have been directed to the likes of Iyiola Omisore and his comrades.

Rauf Aregbesola lacks the pedigree or dignity expected of a Bola Ige son, an Awoist or a true progressive.

Alas! Fate indeed dealt Osun State and Nigeria’s politics a devastating blow by his death.

At the death of the elephant, even cowardly hunters have turned into beneficial butchers.

The terribly turn of events in Osun State politics may have pitched Iyiola Omisore against Uncle Bola Ige, but had opportunists not seized the moment for selfish and personal gains, it would have been an inconsequential wind whose impact would have waned with no bruises.

His unfortunate death however paved way for cowards and scrupulous elements to sow seeds of discord and fan the embers of hatred pedestalled on envy, bitterness, fear and disloyalty.

I am convinced though, that as God liveth, before the end, all that were plotted in the dark will come to light.

Those who killed Bola Ige will be forced into the open to face reckoning at the appointed time.

I am equally convinced that everyone who benefitted from the unfortunate incident, everyone who has twisted the narratives for personal gains and to advance their selfish agenda shall eventually be caught in the web they spawn.

Perhaps it is time to ponder on why Rauf Aregbesola seems to be so disturbed by Iyiola Omisore’s presence and name at every turn.

I am of the opinion that as an idle, abandoned drum needs an expert drummer to tune it in order to make its otherwise cacophonous noise melodious, Rauf Aregbesola needs Iyiola Omisore to truly thrive.

Indeed, one can say that Iyiola Omisore is the only reason Rauf Aregbesola still plays politics, his muse for irrational rhetoric and the cataclysmic release to sooth his bruised ego.

While Iyiola Omisore was in the PDP, he was Rauf Aregbesola’s nightmare, when he severed ties with the PDP to join the SDP, he was Rauf Aregbesola’s tormentor and now that he decided to retrace his step back to the beginning, Rauf Aregbesola is again suffering from psychosis.

It needs be said that the APC may have assumed a different identity, but if one is not a political neophyte or chooses to be deliberately ignorant, when we remove the nomenclature; the APC embodies the very root of progressive politics in the South West, a movement in which Iyiola Omisore on the invitation of Bola Ige played a critical role.

Rauf Aregbesola amplified his tomfoolery and ignorance in a video circulating where he berated Iyiola Omisore for joining the APC.

Without question, he needs lessons in political history and the theory of alignments in the pursuit of a greater good.

A true Awoist and one who claims to be a child of Bola Ige would have known this: ‘That associateship defines the very basis of political power and that although interests may not always align, ideologies and purpose oftentimes define associateship’.

In other words, politics for a true progressive is not a ground where you breed permanent enmity.

Rauf Aregbesola not being a student of political history needs to be taught. The Sage himself was willing to dine with unlikely friends at the dawn of independence for the simple need to move the newly born nation forward.

And in spite of the constant betrayals and backstabbing, he was stoic in his resolve to see Nigeria to a better shore even when it required personal sacrifices.

Rauf Aregbesola is untested, he lacks the grit and qualities that define true leadership.

It is within this context that he is oblivious of the qualities that define Iyiola Omisore and such like he.

If Rauf Aregbesola was to suffer a quarter of the travails that have so far marked Iyiola Omisore’s political journey, I say with a strong conviction that he would either have committed suicide or be condemned to political oblivion.

In conclusion, responding to the tasteless video made on the occasion of Rauf Aregbesola’s party registration in Ilesha was born out of the necessity to ask him to abandon the familiar line that has so far led no where, Iyiola Omisore and his comrades have with their decision to join the APC signified their intention to revamp Nigeria and continue on the path to restoring her glory.

It is a set course and an assured agenda, we will not be distracted by a tout camouflaged by a flowing gown of seeming decency.

Signed:

Alhaji Abdul Jelili Oyewale Adesiyan (Former Minister of Police Affairs)

On behalf of:

Alhaji Awotorebo (Former Minister of Water Resources).

Hon Bade Falade (former Honourable Member : House of Representatives)

Hon Shola Oladehinde, (Former Commissioner in Osun State)

Hon Sumaila (Former Member: House of Representatives)

And all friends and associates of Senator Iyiola Omisore.