Mr Rasaq Salinsile, the Chairman of Rauf Aregbesola’s disbanded faction of the Osun state chapter of the APC, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission by the PDP Governor of the State, Ademola Adeleke.
The news of his appointment became public yesterday when the governor announced portfolios for his Commissioners, many of whom emerged from his immediate family, including nephews and cousins.
Salinsole’s new role has fuelled suspicion of a collaboration between Adeleke and the former governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola, who remains estranged from his party after attempts to block the re-election of erstwhile governor Gboyega Oyetola.
Critics and some members of the APC insist that the party’s defeat at the polls in the last guber election was due to Aregbesola’s betrayal. He was accused of directing his followers, who organized themselves into a rebellious group called ‘The Osun Progressive’ (TOP), to work for the emergence of Adeleke to spite the party and President Bola Tinubu whom he publicly derided for ‘lording’ over the politics of the state.
Aregbesola himself left the country days before the election and refused to campaign or mobilize support for the party during both the governorship and the presidential elections.
Kolapo Alimi, another ally of Aregbesola, equally bagged an appointment as Commissioner for Information and Public Engagement, an ostensible reward for his role in securing the emergence of Adeleke.