Former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola has declared that he has returned to Osun State to rebuild the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The former two-term governor of Osun State, who said he did not offend anyone, also asked for forgiveness from those who felt wronged by him.
Aregbesola said this on Wednesday as residents and members of the Osun APC welcomed him back to the state.
At the occasion, held at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo, Aregbesola said it was sad that’some people’ mismanaged the APC’s business and ran it aground.
He claimed that in 2019, he appealed for party unity and warned that failing to unite would be disastrous.
In his words, “I am here today to seek restructuring of the party. I didn’t offend anybody, but whoever feels that we offended him or her should forgive us.
“We seek forgiveness from those who thought we offended and those who sought our downfall.
“We seek forgiveness from those who are smearing our image, though we never offended them.
“We supported them with all I have to see to their success. I didn’t ask for anything from them. I need to emphasise that I didn’t ask for anything from them. But they chose to repay evil for good.
“We were here in 2019 after the Supreme Court affirmed the mandate of the former governor. I called for unity in the party. I warned that disunity will not produce any good result. But the devil didn’t allow those who handled the party’s affairs to listen.
“However, we are here for the restructuring of the party. That is why we are begging anybody that feels that we offended him or her to forgive us.”
The former Minister later paid visits to the Ataoja of Osogbo land, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji and Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromalaran, where he presented his score cards.
Prior to the 2022 gubernatorial election in Osun State, there was a falling apart in the Osun APC as former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola disagreed with his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola.
The party also splintered into two camps with some members belonging to the IleriOluwa faction of Oyetola and others belonging to The Osun Progressives, TOP.
As a result, there were parallel primaries which threw up two APC party chairmen in the state.
Violence was rife in the party which culminated in two daylight attacks on TOP members during their meetings and an armed attack on Rauf Aregbesola’s convoy in Osogbo in 2022.
