A caucus in the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, called “The Osun Progressives,” on Tuesday ended a rift with the mainstream of the party in the state and expressed readiness to work with other groups to regain power.
The faction also announced the dissolution of TOP, a group that was formed last year and supported by the Minister of Interior and a former governor, Rauf Aregbesola, at the peak of the disagreement between him and his successor, Adegboyega Oyetola.
Following the APC’s party congresses last year, TOP members formed and maintained a parallel party structure, from the ward to the state level, with the mainstream party, which was supported by then-governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
The former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Najeem Salam, addressed newsmen in Osogbo on behalf of the group, saying the group’s sole objective going forward is to harmonise with other progressive groups and embark on a rebuilding mission to reclaim state leadership.
Salam said, “We are gathered here today, given the trajectory of our party and the electoral misfortune we suffered in the governorship election of July 16, 2022, leading to our painful loss, to espouse our resolve and the way forward.
“I am here to announce the dissolution of all factional tendencies in the party with the sole goal of uniting all core Omoluabi Progressives on a rebuilding mission that will return us to the leadership of our state and people.
“We are hereby dissolving The Osun Progressives and the faction of the party associated with it to facilitate the unity of purpose that this time requires.
“For effective closure, we will have a truth and reconciliation forum within the party when it is fully restructured, with the sole purpose of preventing any recurrence of the ugly past.
“With this hand of fellowship and the olive branch, I believe that a new vista of hope, vision, passion, and action will emerge in our party.”
When contacted for reaction, the spokesperson for APC in Osun State, Mr Kola Olabisi, said the position of the party on the decision by the faction would be made known later.
