Meet The Strong Man Called OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA , Gov Elect, Osun State

Rauf Aregbesola was born on May 25, 1957. He graduated from The
Polytechnic, Ibadan where he studied Mechanical Engineering. He is a
Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Management, Nigerian Society of
Engineers, the Nigerian Association of Technological Engineers and
Certified Marketing Communications Institute.




He was on April 12 this year endorsed as the governorship candidate of
the All Progressives Congress in the state for governorship election.
The emergence of Aregbesola was preceded by congresses. The governor,
who had no opponents, was endorsed as the flag bearer of the party.



The Nasir el-Rufai-led committee supervised the primary election in
which Aregbesola was endorsed. While he was giving him the certificate
of return, el-Rufai said 269,631 members of the party voted the for
governor for a second term out 355,390 members who registered in 332
wards across the state.



But before becoming the state governor in 2010, Aregbesola had...

Served as the Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure for
eight years. He left the Lagos State Government to contest the
governorship election in Osun in 2007, on the platform of the defunct
AC.

At the end of the election, INEC under Maurice Iwu declared Olagunsoye
Oyinlola of the Peoples Democratic Party, the winner of the election.
The former commissioner and his party contested the result, taking
Oyinlola and the INEC to court.

In May 2008, Aregbesola called over 100 witnesses and tendered 168
exhibits in his petition before the Election Petitions Tribunal,
alleging violence and ballot boxes stuffing in the election.

In August 2009, the police arrested Aregbesola for involvement in the
alleged forgery of a police report on the conduct of the election.
Later that month, he sought bail to enable him to perform the lesser
Hajj in Saudi Arabia.



Exactly one year later, in August 2010, the police summoned Aregbesola
to make a statement about a June 14, 2007, bomb explosion near the
ministry of water resources. Aregbesola denied any involvement, stating
that he was in Abuja at the time. He was let off the hook by the police
and continued to pursue, in the court, what he referred to as his
stolen mandate.



The case was moved from the election tribunal to the Federal Appeal Court in Ibadan.



After several dramatic exchanges in the courtroom, which lasted
three-and-a-half years, Justices of the Appeal Court finally declared
Aregbesola winner of the 2007 election, ordering that he be sworn in as
governor by noon on November 27, 2010.



Upon assumption of office as governor of Osun state, the former Lagos
State commissioner outlined what he called his Six Point Integral
Action Plan which focused on agriculture, economic and youth
development, health, education and security.



The six points are to banish poverty; banish hunger; banish
unemployment; restore healthy living; promote functional education; and
enhance communal peace and progress. These, the governor said would
seek “to ensure that the fruits of economic development positively
impact as many lives as possible” in Osun.



Aregbesola’s interest in politics dated back to his undergraduate days,
when he served as the Speaker of the Students’ Union Parliament at The
Polytechnic, Ibadan.



[he defeated the PDP, Presidency and their hooded security men to emerge governor in Saturday's election.]



Written for Punch by BAYO AKINLOYE