How Bisi Yusuf Became Main Inheritor Of Aregbesola’s Political Influence In Lagos

Bisi Yusuf, the former multiple-term state legislator, has been identified as the primary inheritor of Rauf Aregbesola’s influence in his Lagos base.

Aregbesola was the political lord of Alimosho, the largest local government area in Lagos State, where Yusuf is now regarded as the main man in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

A larger percentage of Aregbesola’s supporters have reportedly switched allegiance to Yusuf, while the rest have aligned with Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the former Deputy Governor of Lagos State and another political force in the area.

Insiders disclosed that Yusuf, who was the pioneer chairman of Ayobo/Ipaja Local Government Area, attained his current position by leveraging his closeness to two powerful figures—one in Lagos State and the other in the Presidency.

“He has a close rapport with Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila,” according to those in the know.

These associations, combined with Yusuf’s grassroots support, reportedly helped him emerge as the leader of the political caucus with a direct link to the President—the Mandate Movement in Alimosho.

“The position and the clout that comes with it put him in a vantage position to get a lot of things done and help a lot of people,” sources say.

This is a position formerly held by Aregbesola, the political mastermind who installed proxies after he stepped down, according to sources.

Additional information reveals that the former governor’s supporters pitched their tents with other top players in Alimosho—to demonstrate loyalty to the party—after it became clear they had been sidelined due to their principal’s prolonged face-off with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Aregbesola, who leveraged his clout in the area to become a commissioner in Lagos State, governor of Osun State, and later a minister, has exited the party to form a new political group—Omoluabi Progressives—which is now hobnobbing with opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.

The decision was the fallout of a supremacy tussle within the Osun APC that spiraled out of control, culminating in an open face-off between the former minister and the party’s national leadership.

With Aregbesola now out of the APC, Yusuf is said to be solidifying his stature as the next big thing in Alimosho by the day.