The Osun State chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prince ‘Gboyega Famoodun, has ruled out negotiation with The Osun Progressives, a faction in the party backed by the Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola.
He said “there is a free entry and free exit in any political party.”
Famodun, while addressing journalists at a press conference held at the Party’s secretariat in Osogbo on Thursday, said The Osun Progressives (TOP) had done its worst, adding that it would be needless to go into any pact with the group.
On Tuesday, members of Aregbesola faction of APC in the State embarked on a protest in Osogbo calling for restructuring of the party.
Aregbesola and his group, according to Famodun, openly campaigned and subsequently voted against Governor Gboyega Oyetola in the election, which was part of the reasons for the current plight in the party in Osun State.
The statement read, “It was on record that the Interior Minister never took part in any of our governorship campaigns, while he also jetted out of the country during the election in order not to take part in such an important election in his State where he is the highest beneficiary by way of an appointment as a minister.
“It is, however, pertinent to state here that there is a free entry and free exit in any political party, whose memberships are bonded by common interests and ideals.
“Since politics is a game of numbers and the more the merrier, continuous membership of our party is not foreclosed to any genuine member whose interest would not be counter-productive to the interest of our party as you cannot be an outsider and be canvassing for the restructuring of the party.
“It was not that we didn’t know what and how to handle the members and leaders of the inglorious TOP before the governorship election; we, all along, had been thinking that they would have a genuine change of mind by joining us for the re-election of Governor Oyetola.
“Since they, the TOP people, under the patronship of Aregbesola, had done their worst by working assiduously and conscientiously by teaming up with the PDP for the success of Adeleke, which is the highest level of an anti-party activity that can be committed by any politician, it would be a needless venture to enter into any pact with the shameless political group that is bereft of honour.”
“It is an aberration for an outsider to canvass or initiate the restructuring of another body more so when the personality constitutionally recognized to head the affairs of the state, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, had shortly after the governorship election, promised to carry out an effective restructuring and reinvigoration of the party,” he said.
