Ooni, Alaafin meet over Tinubu, Aregbesola’s rift

The Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi III, on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting in Ibadan with the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in respect of his rift with Bola Tinubu, a National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was conveyed to resolve the lingering strained relationship between the two prominent Yoruba political leaders- Mr Tinubu and Mr Aregbesola.

NAN gathered that the meeting, held at a private residence of the Alaafin of Oyo in Ibadan, lasted for about two hours.

The meeting was said to be a first step toward finding a lasting reconciliation between the two politicians.

A source told journalists that after consultations, the leaders agreed to move to the next stage of the meeting, which would be held at a later date.

NAN reports that Mr Aregbesola, had in the build-up to February 2022 Governorship primaries of the APC in Osun, allegedly disparaged Mr Tinubu for taking sides with Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun.

A source told journalists in Ibadan that Mr Aregbesola had asked the traditional rulers to resolve his feud with Mr Tinubu, who is eyeing the presidential ticket of the APC in 2023 election.

The source said: “Rauf Aregbesola came before the Ooni; after he entered, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi joined shortly.

“Nobody was allowed to enter. Nobody was briefed. They later finished and entered their cars. All those photos you see online were taken by their aides.”

However, details of the meeting were still unknown as at the time of filing this reports.

NAN also gathered that the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) had waded into the rift.

“This is with a view to finding amicable solutions to the feud between Aregbesola and his political mentor, Tinubu,” the source said.

(NAN)