R-L: Tinubu, Osoba and Akinyelure during the meeting of the South West APC Leaders (at Osoba;s home) in Bourdillon, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Sunday, April 03, 2016.

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

After over three hours of meeting with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, former Governor of Ogun State and leader, Social Democratic Party, SDP, Chief Olusegun Osoba. finally returned to APC.

Osoba, a founding member of the APC, dumped the party after a feud with the incumbent Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and founded the SDP where he tried to wrestle power out of Amosun’s hand, but the party was defeated.

On Sunday, the APC National leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, led the party’s delegates to Osoba’s house in Bourdillon, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria to resolve the lingering crisis.

At the meeting were the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi while Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State was represented by his deputy, Dr. Oluranti Adebule. Also present were Chief Bisi Akande, Niyi Adebayo, while Governor Ibikunle Amosun was absent from the meeting.

After about three hours of meeting, Aregbesola came out with some leaders of the party to address journalists and announced that the feud was over that Osoba was now back to the fold as a progressive.

“The leadership of the progressive politics in the Western part of Nigeria met today at the residence of Chief Olusegun Osoba. We have resolved all the differences within the leadership and as such, we are happy to tell the world that the leadership of progressive politics in Western part of Nigeria is united and ready to jointly prosecute the agenda for growth, purposeful leadership, development and good governance in the Western part of Nigeria,” he said.

Aregbesola added: “A time was when Osoba switched to another party, he was a foundation member of the APC and he was in the APC throughout my election. Yes, he was for a time with the SDP, but with what we have just done today, Akinrogun Osoba, the Aremo himself, is back with the progressive leadership of the Yoruba race.”

The governor stated that with Osoba’s return to the party, the progressive leadership of the Yoruba race is now fully united and “are ready and charged to lead our efforts to reposition our land and integrate with others nationwide to put Nigeria in its proper footing.

Also, Osoba who was elated, sang a Yoruba song which he called Awolowo’s song and simply said the war was over.

Tinubu said he was filled with joy that the progressives had reunited to make the party stronger on all fronts. “What is very crucial is for us to strengthen our front and remain in the progressives. I am an unapologetic progressive and I will remain one. And that is the only principle I abide with. Wherever the progressives are, they must be united with their vision,” he said.

On why Amosun was not present, Tinubu said “nobody is left out, it is all progressives and no one is left out, no matter your insinuation. Amosun is with us, we can excuse people. The Governor of Ogun State is selected on the platform of APC and we can vouch for him. Leaders of the party identified with us and it is clear we are all one, including Amosun. Who told you we are fighting?”