By John Dike
The immediate past spokesperson for the Nigerian Senate, Ajibola Basiru, has called on the Media to question the former governor of Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola on his party candidacy.
He also advised Monarchs against against partisan politics.
Basiru, who represented Soun Central Senatorial District in the 9th senate, demanded this on Wednesday while delivering his scorecard to his constituents, chieftains and members of the APC at his campaign office in Osogbo.
Fielding questions from journalists, Basiru said Aregbesola was absent in the state during the 2023 general elections declaring that he is yet to know the party Rauf Aregbesola belongs to.
He said Aregbesola lack of support for the party’s candidates in both presidential , governorship and national assembly elections were enough to question his membership and loyalty to the party.
His words “I can say today that the leaders of our party are Baba Bisi Akande and Gboyega Oyetola.
As Journalists, you can verify, we have had four important processes leading to the general elections.
There was the primaries that brought Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at Eagles Square.
You as journalists, go and ask those people that said they have tent and their leaders, what role did they play in the emergence of Asiwaju as the candidate of our party?”
Making reference to Aregbesola ,he said “Even today, they claim Asiwaju is their mentor, he is your mentor but you did not deem it fit to support your mentor to emerge as the candidate of the APC.
It is a moral question that they must answer, not me. I was at Eagles Square and for two years, I was visiting one part of the country to another without collecting any Kobo from anybody, working seriously for the emergence of Tinubu.
“Secondly, we had a governorhsip election in this state, did he vote for the party? Senator Adeleke said it, black and white, that they worked for him to emerge.
” I was not the one that said so. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu contested on the same day that I contested the National Assembly election, our former Minister, former leader was not around to vote for his benefactor and mentor.
” It’s on record that he didn’t come to campaign, he didn’t come to support the party and he didn’t even come to cast his vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We also had the House of Assembly election, did he go to vote at that election? Did you see him near the perimeter fence at that place? So, nobody is aggrieved.
” I am not certainly aggrieved. We that are here are genuine members of the APC. So, these are the genuine members, those that are not genuine, go and ask them why they are not genuine.
“I told you he (Aregbesola) was our leader but I don’t know which party he belongs to now. I don’t know, on a more serious note. Quote me, he was our leader but I don’t know which party he belongs to.
” For the past three elections, we have not seen him participating in any of our party’s activities.
“So, I can’t mention somebody I don’t know. So, you can ask him which party he belongs to. Today, I am in APC, I worked for APC whether we win or lose. Go and ask him, which party did he vote for in the governorship election, which party did he vote for during the presidential election, which party did he vote for during the House of Assembly.
“He was our leader, but today, I am not sure whether he is still within the party. I am not abusing him. Even Asiwaju that is his benefactor, he didn’t vote for him, is it a beneficiary that will now be angry that he didn’t support me during election? I am not angry.”
Basiru also said that the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, has ceased to act like monarch, saying the king has over the time started acting as a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP .
He condemned the accusation of the monarch who said he did not do anything for the palace .
” I did not go to campaign in the palace of Ataoja because as far as I know him, he has ceased to act as a monarch.
“He is acting as a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“As a senator, I put a 45kv generator in his palace, I put electrification and I supported the palace beautification project with a huge sum of money.
“I would not have mentioned it if he had not brought up the matter”
“I know today that it is his palace that they are doing meeting of PDP. I don’t have any personal quarrel with him.
“If he now feels that he wants to serve his masters in country home, Ede, he is free to do so. If he wants to be a politician, let him continue to do his politics.”
