A chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),? Major-General Lawrence Onoja, (rtd) has said that those alleging that Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, was an Islamic fundamentalist were misguided politicians out to smear the good name of the governor.
Addressing ACN leaders at his residence at Idekpa, Ohimini Local Government Area, Benue State, the retired General frowned at the unbecoming culture of blackmail by opponents of Aregbesola.
In his words: “The governor had contributed to building of a Church in his community in the past and could not be tagged a fanatic”. He enthused that Rauf was a strict and committed Muslim who never compromises his faith and that could not make him a? fanatic. He? said? the governor had? many friends who are Christians and had never discriminated against them to his knowledge.
He praised the exemplary leadership quality of Aregbesola and alleged that the blackmail was the handiwork of the Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) whose stock in trade was to rig elections or blackmail populist and hardworking opposition governments like that of Osun State.
The General maintained that being a friend of Osun State, he was conversant with grassroots developmental programmes of Aregbesola’s administration especially his youth empowerment programme like the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (OYES), which he claimed had empowered thousands of youths in the state.
Onoja challenged anyone who had improved the lives of the Osun people? better than Aregbesola to make them public, stressing that what Rauf needs from the Osun people now was their support to consolidate on the ACN gains in the state and not vilifying a man who was improving the welfare of his people.
He expressed regret that instead of the opposition to nurse their wounds of defeat in the 2011 polls and plan on how to battle Rauf in the next elections , the PDP? in the state was busy using blackmail? to score cheap points.