Three major grouses led to the defection of former Ogun State Governor, Segun Osoba, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) last week: the congresses in April, lopsided political appointments, the sidelining of his loyalists in government.
Osoba has reportedly vowed that he will not change his mind even if traditional rulers or the APC national leadership try to patch things up between him and Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
Osoba was not happy that the ward, council, and state congresses produced parallel executives, one for him and another for Amosun.
Amosun’s faction was recognised by the APC national secretariat in Abuja, which Osoba saw as a slight on him.
Osoba’s protege, Deputy Governor, Olusegun Adesegun, is given little or no power by Amosun.
Animosity dates back 11 years
A source who preferred anonymity recalled that the animosity started way back in 2003 when Amosun mobilised the PDP to uproot the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) and Osoba, who was then governor, from State House.
The mutual suspicion was rekindled when they found themselves in the APC prior to the 2011 election.
Friction was evident when the Osoba group rejected Amosun as the governorship candidate, and it took the intervention of some personalities before Osoba could agree.
Amosun emerged governorship candidate and Osoba was given the privilege to pick the deputy governor, the three senatorial candidates, and nine House of Representatives members.
But disagreement erupted over the choice of commissioners and members of the state executive council. The Osoba group felt short changed.
To pacify them, Amosun picked some of his special advisers, chairmen and members of the board of parastatals and agencies from Osoba’s group.
Yet, the Osoba camp grumbled that it was not given enough chairmanship and council slots.
Alleged disrespect
The sharing formula, according to it, was lopsided in favour of Amosun and his supporters, which prompted Osoba loyalists to form a group known as “ma ta gba mole’’ (do not disrespect the elder).
The supporters of Osoba said he was not accorded his proper place in the scheme of things, though Amosun insisted that the man remained the leader of the APC in the state and that there was no feud between them.
It became impossible to hide the rift after the parallel congresses.
Senator Gbenga Kaka (Ogun East) faulted Amosun’s claim of creating a level playing field for all contestants.
“All the rigged-in executives from wards to the national level will, first of all, give way to genuinely elected representatives, starting from the unadulterated lists of delegates up to where it gets to. “Thereafter, if there is room for good primaries, so be it.
“I was the first person to say that there is no automatic ticket for anybody, including Amosun. I said it a long time ago. That was what created the enmity and other things,” said Kaka, who was Osoba’s Deputy Governor.
A source disclosed that the game plan to oust Amosun is being hatched between Osoba’s group and that of former Governor Gbenga Daniel.
It was learnt that Daniel has the backing of Aso Rock to work with Osoba in his new Social Democratic Party (SDP).