“If I Were Aregbesola, I Would Go, Prostrate & Beg Tinubu” – Wole Oke

Influential player in Osun State politics, Oluwole Oke, has publicly waded into the conversation surrounding the political fortune of Rauf Aregbesola.

Aregbesola, a former two-term governor who made the All Progressives Congress (APC) formidable in Osun State, is currently estranged from his political party.

The face-off, which culminated in last week’s announcement of his expulsion from the APC, extends to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s national leader.

“If I were in his shoes, I would go, beg, prostrate, and reconcile with my principal, PBAT (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu). Politics is about strategy, and no one wins by holding grudges forever,” Oke, a seasoned politician representing Oriade/Obokun at the Federal House of Representatives, emphasized. He insisted that reconciliation between Aregbesola and his longtime principal, President Tinubu, was not just necessary but strategic for Aregbesola’s political future.

He further suggested that if he were a member of the APC in Osun, he would work tirelessly to mend the rift between Aregbesola and Gboyega Oyetola. “Ija o dola,” he added, using a Yoruba proverb meaning “war is not profitable.”

It was the supremacy battle between Aregbesola and his successor, Oyetola, that spiraled out of control and turned the former into a pariah within the party.

Oke’s remark, in a social media post on Sunday, February 2, 2025, came amid speculations about Aregbesola’s next political move.

He described the former governor as a bride in Osun politics—someone too valuable to be left wandering without a political home. According to him, both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should be keen on courting Aregbesola, given his ability to mobilize voters.

“PDP needs to act fast, pay the necessary dowry, and take in this bride,” Oke quipped, suggesting that Aregbesola’s political capital was still intact and could sway electoral outcomes in the state.

The House of Representatives member is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Re-emphasizing Aregbesola’s political value, Oke stressed that “Any politician who has the capacity to invite 10 to 20 voters or politicians to a meeting, feed them, and give them a token afterward should not be ignored,” alluding to Aregbesola’s grassroots strategy, which has forged an impressive statewide following.

Aregbesola is currently a major talking point in Osun State, with his rapidly growing political group, Omoluabi Progressives.

“Baba Kabiru (Aregbesola) is a factor in Osun politics,” Oke signed off in his social media post, which he opened with: “Egbon Rauf ‘Soji Aregbesola, a former Governor of Osun State and Minister of Interior, is an enigma, a grassroots mobilizer, a singer, and a dancer. He is a factor and a BRIDE in Osun politics—truth be told.”