According to a NewsVista reporter, Adebayo Shittu, a former Minister of Communications during President Buhari’s tenure, has shed light on the long-standing rift between President Bola Tinubu and his former ally, Rauf Aregbesola.
In a trending video shared online, Shittu explained that their fallout wasn’t about ministerial appointments as many assumed. Instead, it was rooted in a power struggle over the Osun State governorship seat. Shittu claimed that Aregbesola wanted to install his own candidate, clashing with Tinubu’s support for Gboyega Oyetola. That disagreement reportedly sparked Aregbesola’s rebellion against his political godfather.
Shittu, now pro-chancellor of Dave Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, recalled in Yoruba how Tinubu had once bankrolled Aregbesola’s rise to power. “If Asiwaju hadn’t backed him, Aregbe wouldn’t have been governor,” he said, stressing that Oyetola was key to Aregbesola’s financial backing back then.
Tensions escalated further after Oyetola lost his re-election bid. In the lead-up to that election, Aregbesola was caught in a viral video accusing Tinubu of plotting against him, much like what happened to ex-Lagos Governor Ambode.
Now, in a political twist, Aregbesola has aligned himself with President Tinubu’s main rival, Atiku Abubakar. He has been named Secretary of the Atiku-led coalition, alongside David Mark as Chairman of the African Democratic Congress. At their unveiling, the group blasted the Tinubu administration over issues like hunger, insecurity, and corruption, vowing to challenge the presidency come 2027.
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