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The Omoluabi Progressives, a faction within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) loyal to former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has condemned what it described as a “cowardly and unprovoked attack” on its secretariat in Osogbo on Tuesday by suspected members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement signed by its Publicity and Organizing Secretary, Abosede Busayo Oluwaseun, the group said the sporadic shooting occurred at the front of the Oranmiyan Building in the Aregbe area of Osogbo, the symbolic political headquarters of the Aregbesola movement.
According to the statement, a group of APC supporters, in what the movement called a “street show of shame,” marched from Freedom Park and fired shots near the Oranmiyan Building, causing panic among residents and passersby.
The group recalled the historical significance of the Oranmiyan Building, describing it as the birthplace of several landmark political victories in Osun State.
It noted that the building served as the operational base for the political struggle that returned power to the progressives during the tenure of Chief Bisi Akande in 2003, as well as the campaign headquarters that produced former Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Gboyega Oyetola in 2014 and 2018 respectively.
The statement further reminded the public of previous attacks on the same building, including the violent assault on members of The Osun Progressives (TOP) during a meeting on November 18, 2021, and the arson attempt on February 3, 2022, both allegedly carried out by political thugs.
“On both occasions, the unknown gunmen left behind sorrow, tears, and agony in their attempt to impose themselves on the people of Osun State who have since rejected them,” the statement read in part.
The Omoluabi Progressives maintained that political violence cannot restore the APC’s lost glory, warning that “power in a democracy is not inherited nor achieved through bloodshed or property destruction, but through structure, loyalty, and service to the people.”
The group accused the Osun APC of failing to learn from past mistakes, adding that its resort to violence was a reflection of desperation rather than strategy.
“The APC should have realized by now that the path of violence and intimidation led it to failure before, and it cannot bring success now. True leadership is not forged in violence, but in vision and virtue,” the statement concluded.
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