We were frustrated out of Osun APC–Ex-Aregbesola’s aide, Ayedun

We were frustrated out of Osun APC–Ex-Aregbesola’s aide Ayedu

Sikiru Ayedun, a former aide to Rauf Aregbesola, the ex-governor of Osun State and currently the National Secretary of the African Democratic Party (ADC), has revealed the circumstances that led to the exit of the former governor,  the ex-governor’s aides and loyalists from the Osun All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ayedun, former Osun Commissioner for Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism in Osun , is currently the candidate of the ADC, Ife Federal Constituency, House of Representatives,  disclosed that it was not the intention of any of them to leave the party; rather, it was the party that frustrated them.

“We did not decamp to the ADC; the APC said they did not want us. Since we are political animals, we have legacies; we have ideas of how to run a state, and we have things to do for our people; we have to find a platform because Nigeria’s constitution today has not given room for the independent candidate.

” It was the APC in Osun that said they did not want us anymore– from Aregbe to all of us that were his followers, and we are still energetic just as you have said; we are purpose-driven, we are masses-driven, so we had to get a platform where we knew we could actualise our dreams and our goals,” Ayedun said

On the possibility of returning to the APC, Ayedun was philosophical in his response, saying it would be difficult.

“If differences that have not been sorted or settled since 2018 to date, what else? It has been almost eight years. If you know what we went through, you will pity many of us. You know, in every political setting, there are always caucuses. We had our own caucus, and they had their own caucus; they did not want any opposition outside their caucus; they treated us as if we were not an APC member.

“We were victimised. We were attacked by our party members then, just because we were in a different caucus,” the former Commissioner stated further.

He disclosed that the events that followed the governorship election, which ushered in the current Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, broke the camel’s back.

“They expelled all of us, and they did not want us in the party again. In my constituency, I was part of the stakeholders; they stopped me from attending the stakeholders’ meeting in January 2020; definitely, they didn’t want us; that was why we had to be on our own.”

He said efforts to find a truce to the disagreement were frustrated.

According to him, in December 2022, the Aregbesola caucus in the party agreed to suspend the activities of the group, opening the way for reconciliation; but the reconciliation never came.

He stated further that  despite several efforts, including writing to the national headquarters, all were rebuffed with no headway.

“We wrote to national headquarters, everywhere; our correspondence was never acknowledged; even when it was acknowledged, it was never worked on. Definitely, they didn’t want us anymore; we had to find a new approach, ” Ayeddun said.