Rauf Aregbesola, the immediate past Minister of Interior says President Bola Tinubu and his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari are his political benefactors.
“I need to thank Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. It was through him that I became a commissioner in Lagos State and a two-term governor in Osun,’’ Aregbesola said in Osogbo on Wednesday.
The then Governor Bola Tinubu appointed Aregbesola as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in Lagos State in 1999; the position he held till 2007.
Tinubu was also instrumental to Aregbesola becoming governor of Osun from 2010 to 2018.
Former President Buhari appointed him Minister of Interior from 2019 to 2023.
Aregbesola made the assertion of the duo’s contribution to his political attainments at a welcome party organised in his honour by his loyalists.
He also thanked former President Buhari for the opportunity given to him to serve as minister in his cabinet.
“I come back to thank you, the people of Osun and those who made it possible for me to progress in politics.
“I appreciate former President Muhammadu Buhari; after God, it was he that made me the minister; the assignment, which I just concluded,’’ he said.
Aregbesola, however, called for the restructuring of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun.
He said it was unfortunate that some people mismanaged the affairs of the APC and ran it aground in the state.
He said in 2019 he called for the unity of the party with a warning that failure to unite different interest groups in the party would not produce any good result.
“I am here today to seek restructuring of the party.
“I did not offend anybody; but whoever feels that we offended him or her should forgive us.
“In 2019, after the Supreme Court affirmed the mandate of the former governor, I called for unity in the party.
“I warned that disunity would not produce any good result. But devil did not allow those handling the party’s affairs at that time to listen.
“We seek forgiveness from those who are smearing our image, though we never offended them.
“We are here for the restructuring of the party and that is why we are begging anybody that feels that we offended him or her to forgive us,’’ Aregbesola stressed.
The former minister earlier visited the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran in his palace in Ilesa, and the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji, also in his palace in Osogbo.
During the visits, Aregbesola expressed appreciation of the traditional rulers for their support for his political career.