The verbal attacks launched by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State on Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State came as a rude shock to many notable and decent Nigerians who graced an event organised by the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) to launch a Development Agenda for Western Nigeria last Tuesday in Lagos.

The forum was sadly disrupted by Aregbesola as he went berserk and completely out of hand and order. His vituperation against Governor Olusegun Mimiko soon became a source of unease and anxiety to several invitees and very important personalities who walked out of the venue when the hall became rancorous and uncontrollable.

He was roundly condemned by many of the guests who expressed shock at the conduct of the Osun governor.

At the occasion, Aregbesola was flippant, crude and uncivilised in approach and loquacious in utterance in his threat to remove Governor Mimiko from office. No one can take away from him the fact that he was reckless in speech and utterly mannerless during the event.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Dimeji Bankole, who was one of the guests at the occasion had told Aregbesola bluntly that it was against the concept of Omoluabi in Yorubaland for a younger person to attack or abuse his elder.

Bankole asked Aregbesola to stop being carried away by the position he occupies which, he said, was a very temporal one, adding that “you are governor today, whether by hook or crook, you won't be there tomorrow. Look at me here for instance,” he warned.

Aregbesola should be told that he should allow sanity and decency to find a place in the domain of such public discourse which ordinarily was not meant to address political issues.

It is unfortunate that Aregbesola has offered himself as a tool of satanic propaganda engaging in verbal attacks, misinformation against the Ondo State Government, the people and their leaders. It is ludicrous to suggest that the integration of Yorubaland could not take place unless all the states in the region are controlled by the ACN. But a fundamental point is that the struggle to unite the Yorubaland has over the years been weakened by Aregbesola's paymaster. It should go beyond playing partisan politics, but the setting up of institutional framework.

The unfortunate fact is that Aregbesola followed the old strategy of political deceit and played the role of calamity howlers who are nothing but purely agents of demagoguery.

The people of Ondo State know who they would vote for come next gubernatorial election. Only they have that prerogative and Aregbesola can't usurp that power and should neither intimidate nor poison the mind of the people.

Ondo State people are known as politically enlightened, politically sophisticated and conscious people who can independently take wise political decisions without being goaded. And when the time comes, they will surely not fail in this regard. With time, they will separate the wheat from the chaff.

Therefore, Aregbesola should learn to do things in far tidier, statemanly and civilised manner than he did in Lagos on Tuesday. Such apparent hatred for Governor Olusegun Mimiko to a point of throwing it into the purview of public domain in the name of South West integration will not do Aregbesola, his paymaster or ACN any good, but will wreck more havoc because Mimiko, popularly known as Iroko, is well loved by his people. He should wait till next election to prove this.

Mimiko has built bridges, endeared himself to the people through his various people-oriented projects executed so far and so, a million Aregbesola (a political minion and Yoruba banza) cannot destroy that by the vicissitudes of political expediency. He should rather devote his energy in meeting the yearnings of his people whom he was elected to serve and not to fight Ondo people. A few word is enough for the wise.

Am not supporting Aregbesola here but come next election I would prefer prof.Ajayi Borrofice in that office in Ondo.Jumoke Ajasin won't be a bad idea either.
One thing is, Acn keep fooling us with decent candidates who just seem to get lost after elections.
Adeyeye,Ojudu,Fayemi etc.

This dude always got somethin to say. Ya man stay talkin! smh.

@OP
Thank you so much. That was wonderfully rendered. I'm surprised that our fellow Yoruba 'progressives' are not saying anything about the retrogressive act. That was not the first time. At another event in Akure, he roundly condemned Mimiko and openly urged the people not to re-elect Mimiko. This happened some weeks before the Lagos event and Mimiko was there. Talk of unwarranted and unprovoked meddlesomeness.
That was the same thing Tinubu was known for. I wonder if any of his appointed governors will ever allow such in his domain.

My respect for Mimiko has increased for the matured manner he has handled this so far.