As the political divide between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his former associate, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, continues to be a topic of speculation, the underlying causes of their strained relationship have come to light.

Over the past several years, the longstanding association—spanning more than thirty years—between the two individuals has deteriorated significantly. Notably, they did not collaborate during the 2022 governorship election in Osun or the 2023 general elections, highlighting the extent of their estrangement.

While many have taken positions on the matter with many describing Aregbesola as a betrayer, ingrate and an individual who worked against his benefactor because of pecuniary gains, more insights have come up on the true situation of things.

In a rejoinder to Mayor Akinpelu’s article titled, “Rauf Aregbesola’s Perdify,” Sola Fasure, Aregbesola’s media adviser explained that the perceived presidential ambition of the former Minister of Interior against his former boss was at the root of the crisis.

Fasure stated that the former duo’s relationship was mutual and beneficial politically, as they had contributed in one way or the other to their collective successes in the past.

The spokesperson to the former Governor added that Aregbesola’s mobilisation prowess was instrumental to the President’s electoral triumphs before, during and after his governorship in Lagos, one which merits his elevation and support to realise his ambition.

He argued that the decision to make the National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) irrelevant politically in Osun was premeditated by those who believed the former would truncate Tinubu’s chances of winning the election.

His words, “To be clear, the relationship between Aregbesola and Tinubu began in the ill-fated Third Republic when Tinubu just joined politics and wanted to contest the Lagos West Senatorial primary election of the SDP. He needed a pointsman in Alimoso and was directed to Rauf Aregbesola, who not only won the primary but the election itself for him.

“But the author, out of ignorance of mischief deliberately cut this off the narrative, portraying Aregbesola as a scruffy upstart in Lagos politics.

“Again, to be clear, Oyetola was not the basis of their disagreement, but he was a player. THE ISSUE BETWEEN TINUBU AND AREGBESOLA WAS THE PERCEPTION OF TINUBU THAT AREGBESOLA WOULD CONTEST THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AGAINST HIM. If you don’t understand this, sorry, you are at sea on the matter and except you probe deeper, you will sink deep into ignorance.

“Oyetola played well his role to reverse Aregbesola’s works in Osun and deny him the platform of the state. This is just as Tinubu also folded up the Lagos platform, ostensibly to deny him any political base for the purported presidential ambition.

“But labelling anyone perfidious on matters of political choice has no place in a democracy which guarantees freedom of choice.

“People who make this kind of accusation are those Soyinka said have slavery in their DNA. For them, if your path crossed with someone, you are permanently trapped in their shadow and must not move on in your life again. This is a slavish mentality.

“Their disagreement is political and certainly not moral. It’s in monarchy that everyone is required to support the king, not so in a democracy,” Fasure noted..

He also berated actions of political gladiators referring to the Tinubu/Aregebsola disagreement as betrayal, stressing that feuds in such realms are purely political and not moral.

“Anyone formerly associated with Tinubu and not on his train now is a betrayer. Fashola, Ambode, Osinbajo, Ojudu etc. It’s a familiar script, the same dossier they hand over to the commissioned writers on the matter. In the end, it becomes what Soyinka calls ‘transparent subterfuge,” Aregbesola’s spokesperson explained further.