The Omoluabi Progressives have alleged a coordinated plot to assassinate former Minister of Interior and ex-Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson and organising secretary, Oluwaseun Abosede, and obtained by News Bulletin Nigeria on Sunday, the group claimed recent developments point to a political and physical campaign aimed at silencing Aregbesola.
It is alleged that inflammatory remarks, veiled threats, and state-backed actions had fuelled suspicion of a wider agenda against the former minister.
“Taken together, these developments raise genuine fears that a sinister agenda is being orchestrated to silence him permanently under the guise of politics,” the statement read.
The group referenced a July 23, 2025 rally, where Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho, allegedly made a declaration interpreted as a veiled threat against Aregbesola. It also cited an August 2, 2025, social media post by journalist, Mayor Akinpelu, which was later amplified by Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, warning of “dire consequences” for the former governor.
According to the statement, tension heightened further on August 14, 2025, when journalist Gbonka Ebiri reportedly described Aregbesola as a “sell-out” and called for him to face the “wrath of Yorubaland.”
On the same day, the group alleged, police operatives, backed by an Armoured Personnel Carrier, disrupted an African Democratic Congress rally in Sagamu, Ogun State, where Aregbesola was billed to address supporters of Hon. Solomon Oluwaseyi Osho, a House of Representatives bye-election candidate.
“The venue was vandalised, equipment seized and Aregbesola prevented from attending the event,” the statement said, adding that attempts by police to downplay the disruption only deepened suspicion of political interference.
Omoluabi Progressives described the pattern of threats and obstruction as “the anatomy of assassination politics” and called for urgent measures to protect Aregbesola.
The group aligned itself with the Coalition of Oodua Self-Determination Groups, whose chairman, Dayo Ogunlana, condemned the threats, warning that Yoruba politics “must not descend into intimidation and violence.”
While highlighting Aregbesola’s role in reconciliation efforts within the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and his contributions to development in Osun and Lagos States, the group maintained that the former minister had committed no offence by pursuing an independent political path.
It stressed that his constitutional rights must be respected and warned that any attempt to harm him would be strongly resisted.
“The safety, dignity, and political rights of Yoruba leaders must not be sacrificed on the altar of opportunism. Any further escalation of threats could endanger Aregbesola and undermine peace in Yorubaland,” the statement concluded.
