The Omoluabi Progressives have expressed concern about a purportedly planned plot to assassinate Rauf Aregbesola, the former governor of Osun State and minister of the interior.
The organisation said that recent events indicate a political and physical attempt to silence the former Minister in a statement acquired on Sunday and signed by Oluwaseun Abosede, its spokesperson and organising secretary.
The group said that a combination of provocative statements, covert threats, and state-sponsored acts had stoked suspicions of a larger plot against Aregbesola.
“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.
According to the group, “Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho, made a declaration at a rally on July 23, 2025, interpreted as a call for violence. He reportedly stated in Yoruba, ‘Ilẹ o mú wọn’ meaning ‘the land will consume them’, a phrase the group said was directed at Aregbesola.”
The statement also cited a social media post on August 2, 2025, in which journalist, Mayor Akinpelu wrote that “no man could repay good with evil and get away with it.”
The group noted that the article, amplified by Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, suggested dire consequences for Aregbesola.
The Omoluabi Progressives, which said such rhetoric amounted to incitement to violence, added that tension arose on August 14, 2025, when a journalist, Gbonka Ebiri allegedly 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 with an Armoured Personnel Carrier disrupted an African Democratic Congress rally in Sagamu, Ogun State.
“The event was scheduled to be addressed by Aregbesola in support of Hon. Solomon Oluwaseyi Osho, candidate in the House of Representatives bye-election.
“The venue was reportedly vandalised, equipment seized and Aregbesola prevented from attending the event.”
Police efforts to minimise the disturbance, according to the organisation, merely strengthened suspicions of political meddling.
Omoluabi Progressives demanded immediate action to protect the former governor and characterised the pattern of physical obstacles and language as the anatomy of assassination politics.
It joined the Coalition of Oodua Self-Determination Groups, whose head, Dayo Ogunlana, denounced the threats, stating that “Yoruba politics must not descend into intimidation and violence.”
The statement highlighted Aregbesola’s contributions to Yoruba community and mentioned his work to bring the Oodua People’s Congress and OPC together as well as his development initiatives in the states of Osun and Lagos.
It emphasised that Aregbesola’s constitutional rights must be upheld and that he had not committed any crimes by following his own political path.
Additionally, the Omoluabi Progressives threatened to oppose any effort to attack Aregbesola.
The organisation called on security authorities to take prompt action and asked Nigerians to pay attention to statements made by President Bola Tinubu’s supporters and appointees.
“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,” it concluded.
