A legal showdown has erupted in Osun State as the All Progressives Congress (APC) drags a faction led by former governor Rauf Aregbesola before the Federal High Court in Osogbo. The party accuses Aregbesola’s camp of causing a splinter within the APC in the state.
In a move to address the alleged factionalization, the Osun APC has petitioned the court to declare the Omoluabi Caucus, a group spearheaded by Aregbesola, as illegal and anti-party. This development was disclosed by Waheed Adeniran, the Assistant Secretary of the Osun APC, in an affidavit supporting the Originating Summons filed by the party’s lawyer, Ayodele Kusamotu.
The litigious matter, identified as suit number FHC/OS/CS/1/2024, lists the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a defendant. Notable figures including a former member of the House of Representatives, Rasheed Afolabi, and Lani Baderinwa, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Aregbesola’s administration, are also named as defendants in the suit.
The Osun APC is seeking an injunction to restrain Aregbesola’s faction from participating in or recognizing any congress or convention held by the defendants, and from nominating candidates using the party’s name or platform. Furthermore, the party is pushing for a prohibition of the faction from operating as a political group under a name similar to the plaintiff’s, while also seeking general damages of N5 million against the defendants.
Lowo Adebiyi, former Osun APC chairman and leader of the Omoluabi Caucus, has revealed that the group has not been served with any legal documents from the Federal High Court. He stated, “We have not been served and when they serve us, we will react accordingly.”
The rift between Aregbesola and the current governor’s faction, the IleriOluwa group of immediate past state governor Adegboyega Oyetola, has deepened following the launch of the Omoluabi Caucus by Aregbesola in August 2023. The formation of The Osun Progressives (TOP) by Aregbesola further exacerbated the existing tensions within the Osun APC, particularly in the lead-up to gubernatorial and general elections.
The legal action taken by the Osun APC exemplifies the ongoing power struggles within the party and the wider political landscape in Osun State. As the court deliberates on this matter, the ramifications of these developments could significantly impact the political future of the state and the APC’s unity at large.
