By Olushola Matthew

May 24, 2025

Dear Ogbeni RAUF AREGBESOLA,

I write to you not in anger, but in sheer disappointment. Disappointment born from watching a man once draped in loyalty and respect gradually unravels into a symbol of betrayal and ingratitude.

This letter is not to destroy you—it is to remind you. To awaken the sleeping conscience that once dwelt in you. If there’s anything left of it.

Let’s be unequivocally clear: your rise in Nigerian politics was not self-made. You did not climb the ladder alone. The story of your political relevance cannot be told without one name— Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu , the man you now undermine with calculated silence and tacit approval of those who publicly mock him.

You were not just another Commissioner in Lagos. Tinubu made you the most powerful Commissioner in his administration as The Lagos State Government —handing you a super portfolio that gave you influence far beyond your title. You were his political lieutenant, his trusted hand, his go-to strategist when the politics of Lagos demanded clarity, courage, and creativity.

The same man who exported you from Lagos to Osun, even after you left Lagos, he didn’t cut you off. On the contrary, Tinubu placed you at the heart of the Osun political struggle. He fought tooth and nail, risking his entire political capital to see you installed as Governor —twice.

And even after your tenure ended, he still carried you along, conferring on you a relevance many of your peers could only dream of. You remained a pillar in Lagos politics—not because of a god-given mandate, but because Tinubu ensured your name stayed afloat, your voice still mattered.

Tell us, Ogbeni: what more could a man have done for you?

And yet, in the twilight of his greatest political journey, you chose to walk with his adversaries. You chose to flirt with the very forces that have opposed Tinubu’s vision for Nigeria at every turn.

You embraced Atiku Abubakar—a man who neither shaped your story nor shared in your struggles. In fact, he stood far from them.

You stood among those who sang vile songs yesterday in your own house saying (ni 2027, Tinubu yo lule 😢 😭) predicting the fall of Tinubu. You smiled as they chorused insults. You nodded while they mocked the very man who molded your path. In that moment, Ogbeni, you didn’t just betray a political mentor—you betrayed an entire philosophy of loyalty, principle, and brotherhood.

Where was Atiku when you were battling to reclaim your stolen mandate? Where was he when your political enemies tried to bury you? Where was he when you needed a lifeline? He was nowhere. But Tinubu—yes, that same man you now treat with indifference—stood by you like a fortress.

You have become the cautionary tale for every political godson: a reminder that betrayal often comes not from strangers, but from those closest to the throne.

Understand this: no matter how many alliances you forge, no matter how many new political hymns you sing, history will never forget who made you. Nor will it forgive how you turned your back on him in his hour of triumph.

But even now, it is not too late. If there is any fragment of honor left in your heart, let it speak. Let it lead you back to the path of integrity. Make peace—not just with Tinubu, but with your conscience, your history, and with the millions who once believed in your moral compass.

For now, your silence condemns you. Your associations expose you. And your actions —or lack thereof— have cast a long, dark shadow over a once-glorious legacy.

Yours in truth and patriotism,

Olushola Matthew
Commonsense@disciples.com