How Aregbesola became abandoned ADC leader

The Osun State governorship election held on August 15, 2026 has come and gone, but some people are still nursing the scars it left on them nearly three months after. Among them is a former governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. Abandoned by his new political family and left lonely after falling out of favour with his political benefactor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the once effervescent politician is now a shadow of his former self.

Ironically, the former governor had gleefully advertised his new political association after defecting from the progressive family of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to pitch his tent with strange bed fellows including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark and Hon.Bolaji Abdullahi in the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC).

Both Aregbesola and his new political associates had relished their newfound friendship and, based on his former association with President Tinubu, was rated so highly by party chieftains that he was literally gifted the enviable position of National Secretary. The first test of his popularity, however, came on the eve of the recent governorship election in the state where he once held sway as the chief executive.

Aregbesola himself had raised the expectations of Atiku and other party members, having paraded himself as a politician and former governor that was well grounded in the state. So, on the day set aside for a campaign rally of the ADC in Osogbo, the state capital, they all went with high hopes and looked eagerly forward to a mammoth and jubilant crowd. The party chieftains were also said to have departed Abuja with a huge war chest which they termed “empowerment” in the hope of “mobilising” the anticipated crowd to vote for the ADC candidate.

On getting to the venue of the rally, however, the party leaders were shocked by the sight of scanty crowd that confronted them. But if anyone noticed the anti-climax the campaign rally had become, it was not Aregbesola who was singing, jumping and dancing enthusiastically while Atiku and other party leaders stared in bewilderment, wondering the basis for Aregbesola’s excitement.

To them, there was a clear signal that the party would not do well in the governorship election, but Aregbesola saw none of that. So, when the rally was over, the party leaders decided not to hand over the “empowerment” they had come to the state with as they all departed Osun flat-footed. Of course, their projection was right as the incumbent governor Ademola Adeleke, who had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to seek reelection on the platform of Accord Party, won the election with a massive 511,067 votes against the 17,180 votes recorded by the ADC candidate.

It goes without saying that ADC has since given up on Osun while the party leaders are merely tolerating Aregbesola as a party chieftain because whatever they had thought he could do before the election has vanished from their minds.

This was the basis for the recent reports of ADC leaders in the Southwest revolting against Atiku over alleged marginalisation of the party’s structure in the region. The former vice president was said to have opted to conduct his political activities in the region through his friends and allies.

Abuja doctor reveals a unique way to permanently cure weak erection, small and shameful manhood, and infertility issues without side effects within a short period. Click now to see!!

Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The Nation Newspaper on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don’t miss a headline — join now!