The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the expulsion of former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola for alleged anti-party activities.

The ousted party chieftain governed Osun State for two terms and served as a minister under immediate former President Muhammadu Buhari, all on the APC platform.

He’s the leader of a faction in the Osun APC known as The Osun Progressives, later rebranded as the Omoluabi Caucus.

In a letter that surfaced on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, the APC leadership officially confirmed that Aregbesola had been shown the exit door.

itled ‘Allegations of Anti-Party Activities – Conveyance of State Exco Decision to You,’ the letter accused the former Governor of breaching Article 21 of the party’s constitution, which outlines disciplinary measures for members.

“At the end of the investigation, the State Executive Committee (SEC) considered the report of the Disciplinary Committee. Having carefully reviewed the findings and recommendations, the SEC resolved to approve your immediate expulsion from the APC.

“The decision was predicated on clear evidence of your actions, which undermined the unity and integrity of the party. As a result, you are no longer a member of the APC and must refrain from holding yourself out as one or acting on behalf of the party in any capacity,” the letter partly read.

Aregbesola’s expulsion comes days after he presided over a meeting of the Omoluabi Caucus, at which the group announced its decision to leave the APC, citing the party’s waning influence in Osun.

In October 2024, the Osun APC announced that Aregbesola had been suspended following accusations of anti-party activities.

The party had accused the former minister of fostering division within the APC by establishing a splinter faction, undermining party unity in the state.

This was contained in a formal resolution submitted by the party’s Osun chapter to Dr. Umar Ganduje, the APC National Chairman.

It alleged that “Aregbesola’s actions have fueled internal divisions,” threatening cohesion during a crucial phase in the party’s activities.

The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has launched another scathing criticism against the incumbent administration, saying there are more fraudsters in government than ‘Yahoo boys’ outside.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, stressed that the country is at the mercy of corrupt officials who siphon resources from government coffers.

The Labour Party chieftain made this known in his keynote address as a guest speaker at Nexford University’s 4th graduation ceremony on Saturday, January 25, 2025.

Speaking at the event, which was themed ‘Lead the change; ignite your future,’ Obi said the entire country has become a crime scene, with government officials stealing as much as those outside the government.

“For governance, don’t think when we talk about vices, it is only Yahoo boys. There are more Yahoo people in government than there are outside because we have turned the entire country into a crime scene where people inside are stealing, and people outside are stealing,” he said.

The former Governor emphasized the need for quality leadership to manage the country’s affairs, urging the graduates to become positive change agents in their communities.

“It is about leadership and igniting the future. It is not rocket science, but it is difficult. It is being able to have a strong character and the ability not to do the wrong thing.

“It is for you to help bring a better change in the society that you want to live in. You have acquired knowledge today. Use what you have learned to help us change society.

“You are a victim of Nigeria because our age and the age before has refused to do what is right, and you are suffering it,” he added.

The leadership of the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) has criticized the Federal Government and telecommunications companies for the 50% increase in data and airtime tariffs across the country.

The organized labor rejected the decision, likening it to an assault on Nigerians’ welfare considering the rising cost of living and skyrocketing inflation.

Joe Ajaero, the NLC President who spoke to journalists at the Labour House in Abuja on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, said the increase exemplified the government’s apparent preference for prioritizing corporate profits over citizens’ welfare.

He called for an immediate embargo on the hike’s implementation while lampooning National Assembly members for not standing with the Nigerian people regarding specific policies.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expresses its unequivocal condemnation of the Federal Government’s recent approval, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), of a 50% increase in telecommunication tariffs.

“This decision, coming at a time when Nigerian workers and the masses are grappling with unprecedented economic hardship, is a clear assault on their welfare and an abandonment of the people to corporate fat cats,” he said.

Ajaero, who called for mass action against the hike, wondered why critical stakeholders had never engaged in a dialogue before the decision was announced.

“Telecommunication services are essential for daily communication, work, and access to information. Yet, an average Nigerian worker already spends approximately 10% of their wages on telecom charges.

“For a worker earning the current minimum wage of ₦70,000, this means an increase from ₦7,000 to a staggering ₦10,500 per month or 15% of his salary—an unsustainable cost.

“This hike exemplifies the government’s apparent ease in prioritizing corporate profits over citizens’ welfare.

“It is shocking that the government approved this 50% tariff increase for telecom companies within a month, yet it took nearly a year to approve the recent minimum wage for workers, despite the rising cost of living and inflation eroding purchasing power.

“This glaring disparity underscores a troubling reality: the government appears more aligned with the interests of wealthy corporations than with the needs of the workers and citizens it is meant to serve.

“We must ask: When will the government stand for the people it swore to protect? When will the National Assembly rise to its responsibility and hold the executive accountable for policies that blatantly undermine the welfare of the majority? When will the common man heave a sigh of relief in Nigeria?

“NLC is not opposed to a tariff review but disagrees with the approved rate of increase. We, therefore, call on the government, the NCC, and the National Assembly to stop the implementation of this ill-advised hike and allow a reasonable conversation about it.

“If the dialogue agrees on the need for the hike, then we can all seek a more humane increase and not this 50% hike,” he added.

The Labour leader warned that the possibility of a nationwide boycott of telecommunication services is on the table to compel the reversal of the decision, which he described as a “punitive increase”.

“The NLC calls on all Nigerian workers and masses to reject this unjustifiable tariff hike. We urge citizens to prepare for collective action, including the possibility of a nationwide boycott of telecommunications services, to compel the reversal of this punitive increase.

“This is for our dignity, our rights, and our survival as a people. The Nigeria Labour Congress remains resolute in defending the interests of Nigerian workers and the masses.

“We will not allow the people to bear the brunt of policies that further entrench poverty and inequality. Together, we will do our best to resist this injustice and demand that government prioritises the interests of its citizens over corporate interests,” the unionist concluded.