Revealed! How Aregbesola Rules Osun From Lagos State

When on November 26, 2010, Engr. Rauf Aregbesola finally won the Osun State governorship tussle between him and the then Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, indigenes of the State took to the streets in celebration of his victory. However, nine months

 down the line, the people may have been feeling disappointed following some of the Governor's unguided actions.

 
Huhuonline.com can authoritatively reveal that since becoming the governor of Osun State, Governor Aregbesola has most of the time been ruling from Lagos State, where he was the former Commissioner for Works and where he still has his base.

 
In fact, the Governor, who gives the impression of a core Muslim, often spends only between six and 10 days of each month in Osun. Most of the other days are spent outside the shores of the country and in Lagos, where he is seen to still have enchanting powers over the 20 Local Government Councils and the 37 Local Council Development Areas in the State making him one of the most dreaded politicians in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

 
According to Huhuonline.com investigation, Aregbesola mostly lives in Lagos, where he calls the shots. From here, he oversees the activities of the State using his political appointees.

 
An example of how he oversees the activities of the Local Government chairmen in Lagos State was revealed during the nomination and statement of interests by aspirants for the Local Government election in which is billed to hold in November in the State.

 
Investigations show that Aregbesola, who further bought the favour of the other party chieftains by delivering his State to the ACN in the last general elections, single-handedly nominated 35 of the aspirants. In Alimosho area of the State with six LGAs and LCDAs, he only approved two of the sitting chairmen while the other four were advised to relinquish their ambition during a meeting he held with them three weeks ago.

 
"We know he has always been in Lagos even as a governor, but it became worse since the issue of the Local Government Council elections sprang up.

 
"Some of the Council chairmen he has nominated are controversial. Some of the sitting ones have not done well or satisfied their people, yet he has forcefully returned them. Would you say for example that the Chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye, Demola Doherty, has worked? But he remains the party's choice because he is a boy to Aregbesola. The same thing goes for Kamal Bayewu, current Chairman of Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Council, whose nomination resulted in a protest by residents of the area leading to the death of some people recently," a dependable source in the ACN disclosed.

 
The source also said that the governor's truancy was worse before his recent appointment of Commissioners, most of whom are not indigenes or residents of the State, but Lagos.

 
As a result, the Osun State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Ojo Williams, described the Aregbesola administration as a disaster. He said rather than focus on effective governance using the culture and tradition of the people of the State, Aregbesola has continued to pursue a Lagos agenda resulting in steady flight of capital from the state.

 
As if to confirm Huhuonline.com findings, he also accused the Governor of recklessly junketing around the world with fat estacode , all in the name of looking for investors, adding that the Governor had so far travelled for more than 21 times since he took up the affairs of the State without anything to show for it.

 
"He hardly works here. In June, he was in India and spent only three days in Osun out of 30 days. In July, he was in China and spent only five days in Osun out of 30 days. I have it on a good authority that he has gone to Umurah and he wouldn't be back until the end of Ramadan. So, where is the governor in Osun?

 
"The consultants who are doing the job for him come from Lagos. And what is the job they do for him other than to make fake contracts, rush to make voucher for payment and go back to Lagos to spend the money. They don't even stay here; they will arrive on Tuesday and leave on Thursday. So, we have a lot of capital flight happening now in Osun State," the PDP chairman stated.

 
Reacting to the appointment of Commissioners, many of whom were picked from other states, Otunba Williams said: "Before now, when we saw that he had overspent his time in deciding what to do, we came up with suggestion of people from his own party whom he can appoint. And we were objective about it. Look at Hon Wale Afolabi; he is in the Action Congress of Nigeria and he is a lawyer of repute.

 
"He was the pioneer Speaker in Osun State. No objective critic would close his eye against such an opportunity to name Wale Afolabi as commissioner. We also suggested other credible people like Prince Gboyega Famodun from Igbajo, Sunday Akere, Gbola Oguntoye. Oguntoye had tilled and toiled for the ACN in Osun State. I see no reason why he should go to Lagos or Ibadan to go and scout for people like Oguntoye for replacement."

 
But in reaction to the number of accusations from the PDP, Semiu Okanlawon, Director, Bureau of Communications & Strategy, in the office of the Governor, said the party and its members have been attempting to make the State ungovernable for the Aregbesola. He maintains that the Governor would continue to do his best in service to the people.

 
"They attempted to make an issue out of the cabinet but were profoundly shamed when the list of commissioners and advisers came out and turned out to be the best the State ever had.

 
"They have also been going about, evidently out of idleness, to rubbish the creation of 20,000 jobs through the OYES (Osun Youth Employment Scheme), but the scheme turns out to be a phenomenal success.

 
"Governor Aregbesola is undaunted by the campaign of calumny against his high flying and well-acclaimed administration. He is totally dedicated to the cause of his people, in or out of town," he stressed.