By Musa Baba Adamu
The camp of a former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregebsola has been dragged before the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo for the alleged factionalisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the State.
The Osun APC also urged the court to declare the Omoluabi Caucus, a group formed by Aregebsola as illegal and an act of anti-party.
This was made known by Waheed Adeniran, the Assistant Secretary of the Osun APC, in an affidavit in support of the Originating Summons filed by the party’s lawyer, Ayodele Kusamotu on Monday.
The suit marked FHC/OS/CS/1/2024 also has the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as a defendant.
A former member of the House of Representatives, Rasheed Afolabi and Lani Baderinwa, who served in Aregbesola’s cabinet as the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, were also joined as defendants.
The Osun APC prayed the court to make “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st defendant from attending or recognising or accepting any congress or convention held or to be held by the 2nd-4th defendants and any other persons associating with them in their factional and parallel political group or association for the purpose of inaugurating or constituting the Executive Council or Committee of the plaintiff at any level or nominating candidates for any elective positions under the provisions of the Constitution the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) in the name or on the platform of the plaintiff.”
They also sought, “an order prohibiting the illegal factional and parallel association of the 2nd-4th defendants launched as Omoluabi Progressives (APC) in similar or same name of the plaintiff impersonating the plaintiff’s registered logo, symbol and slogan to function as a political group.
“General damages of N5m jointly or severally against the 2nd-4th defendants in favour of the plaintiff.”
A former Osun APC chairman and leader of the Omoluabi Caucus, Lowo Adebiyi, when contacted said the group has not been served with any document from the Federal High Court.
He said: “We have not been served and when they serve us, we will react accordingly.”
Prior to the Osun gubernatorial and general elections, The Osun Progressives (TOP), was formed by Aregbesola, which many saw as a rival to the IleriOluwa group of the immediate past state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola
