- Hails Aregbesola’s Unswerving Loyalty As He Debunks Rift.
By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has dissolved all political groups in the state following what is perceived as a cold war between him and the minister of interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The decision was taken at the meeting of the State’s Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) that was held by the party’s stakeholders in Tinubu’s residence on Tuesday.
Prominent among the affected groups are the Justice Forum and the Mandate Group, the major political blocs that formed the nucleus of the ruling party in the state.
There are speculations that Ogbeni Aregbesola, who is a major force in the Mandate group, is planning to launch political groups in the state without the consent of Senator Tinubu, who regarded as the political leader and god father of Lagos politics.
There are insinuations that Aregbesola, the immediate past governor of Osun State, is also interested in running for president in 2023, an ambition that may pit him against his former boss who is also believed to be interested in the highest political office in the country.
Tinubu, however, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr Tunde Rahman, said the decision to dissolve political groups in the state was made to enhance discipline and unity. He said Aregbesola, “has been unswervingly and wholly committed to the progressive ideology of the Tinubu political family.”
“Today, the Governor’s Advisory Council, the highest decision-making body within the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, passed a resolution calling for the disbandment of all factional groups within the party,” the statement read.
“This was to promote discipline, harmony and cohesion and engender party supremacy. The APC is one united political family in Lagos.
“There is no war, cold or hot, between them. There has never been and there will never be. Asiwaju believes in him and he believes in the APC leader. Our political family remains strong. And we are staying focused in our commitment to building and maintaining a cohesive political party.
“The GAC is a very strong body within the APC leadership structure in Lagos. Its resolution is not targeted at any particular individual or collection of individuals.
“The resolution was to restate the often-stated position that the only group known to us is APC and not any of the factional groups. It was to renew the commitment to APC and its unity.
“Ogbeni Aregbesola is a strong member of the political family. The GAC position does not imply any division within the group.”
