Encomium
– Puts APC at crossroads
‘It’s nothing to worry about’ -AREGBESOLA
The road to Abere, the Osun State seat of power may not be that smooth for the incumbent governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in 2014, if information at ENCOMIUM Weekly’s disposal is anything to go by.
According to an impeccable source, the new education policy introduced by the governor has started working against him. Not only that, it may end up being the causative factor for the collapse of his administration before the next election in the state.
The source further disclosed that the recent assault on the principal of Baptist High School, Ejigbo, Osun State, Mr. Layi Oguntola by some muslim youths has started generating discord between the engineer turned politician and some Christian teachers in the state. The teachers were said to have accused the governor of nonchalance towards resolving the crisis.
However, the angry muslim youths reportedly premised their action on the principal’s alleged religious intolerance which he was said to have demonstrated by sending home hijab wearing students from the school.
The crisis which was a fallout of the recent school reclassification in the home of the Livingspring has paved way for the members of the ousted Peoples Democratic Party in the state to launch an attack against All Progressives Congress (APC), using the aggrieved teachers from various schools in the state to perfect their strategy against 2014.
“The crisis in Osun, as a result of the merger of some Christian and muslim schools, is still ongoing, and if it’s not abated on time, it may jeopardize Aregbesola’s second term bid. I learnt some PDP chieftains in the state, including Senator Iyiola Omisore, Hon. George Jolaoye, Senator Akinlabi and others have started underground campaign among teachers in the state. I learnt they have been wooing some of the teachers with money and juicy promises against 2014. I learnt they’re the ones behind recent protests by some teachers over the incident in Ejigbo, where Mr. Oguntola, the principal of Baptist High School was beaten to a pulp. They are strongly doing everything to discredit Aregbesola’s administration.
“I learnt all the strong members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun have been having series of meetings with Governor Aregbesola on the issue because the party can’t afford to lose power to PDP again just as it happened in 2003 when Chief Bisi Akande lost gallantly to Olagunsoye Oyinlola. But all I know is that, from all indications, the battle is going to be very tough between the two political parties in the next year’s election.”
One of the strong members of PDP from Ayedire local government, Mr. Ezekiel Oloyede, who spoke to ENCOMIUM Weekly on Saturday, December 7, 2013, said: “Aregbesola has shot himself in the leg with the new education system he introduced. It will continue to cause crisis among Christians and muslims in the state. We are going to take advantage of that to perfect our plan to get power back from APC in the next election. With the development in the state, some of the teachers are now on our side. We will surely show him the way out in November 2014.”
However, ENCOMIUM Weekly had earlier reached out to the governor via his Director of Bureau De Publicity, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, who told us there is nothing to worry about concerning 2014 election. He added that there is nothing like islamization of schools as being peddled.
On Saturday, December 7, 2013, we pressed for further reaction from Mr. Okanlawon to no avail.
– TADE ASIFAT
