Loyalists of the immediate past Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who belong to the defunct The Osun Progressives (TOP), yesterday, accused IleriOluwa, a group loyal to the immediate past governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, of blackmail.
The accusation was over their two former members who made the list of the commissioner-nominees of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Former Osun Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Special Needs, Biyi Odunlade and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Kolapo Alimi, are among the 25 nominees.
They were loyalists of Aregbesola before crossing to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, a former Chairman of Osun All Progressives Congress (APC), Lowo Adebiyi, who had coordinated TOP, yesterday, took a swipe at a report ascribing the nomination of Odunlade and Alimi as compensation to Aregbesola for his alleged role in the emergence of Adeleke as the governor.
Adebiyi, in a statement in Osogbo, described the speculation as a mere blackmail, denying that Aregbesola and his caucus (TOP) were engaged to work for the victory of the PDP in the last governorship election.
He said the nomination of the former commissioners was not connected with the defunct TOP or Aregbesola.
He dismissed the report of “compensation” as baseless and untrue, describing it as a plot to further paint the former minister and his loyalists black before the APC.
Adebiyi noted that Adeleke never at any time said loyalists of Aregbesola worked for his election.
