The immediate past Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says politics of bitterness and boastful exclusion played by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Osun ahead of 2022 gubernatorial election against him and his supporters cost the party victory at the poll
The former governor disclosed this on Tuesday, during a radio programme in Ilesha.
According to him,
According to him, “There is nothing like exclusivity when it comes to politics or elections. All interests matter and are important. When I wanted to run for a second term as governor in 2014, I ensured that even the bigwigs of the opposition party joined us.
“I rallied everybody because we knew how important it was to have a strong and formidable party going into the elections. That was why we were able to achieve success.
“But in a situation when some individuals decide to exclude some people, ostracise them and want to even throw them out of the party, that (defeat) is what you would get. I have no power or control over the decision of where anyone wishes to vote or support in a political contest.
“Politicians or party men and women constitute only 10% of the electorate. The success of any election rests on the level of how people are able to embrace others, irrespective of their convictions or personal aggrandisement to others.”
Aregbesola said the then governor, Gboyega Oyetola and his cohorts believed he and his supporters were not important.
“They (Oyetola and others) never wanted us, and our existence gave them a constant headache. There was even a video that trended at the time when they said anyone who was not invited to their campaign and comes around would bear the consequences of whatever happens to him/her.
The two term governor however added that he had to stay away in from the party’s activities ahead the election in order not to create confusion as to who I was supporting or supported in the governorship election.
