The immediate past governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has ruled out an imminent move to the Senate saying it was a demotion for him to go to the legislative house after being a governor.
While noting that it was not the character of the progressives of the Southwest to foist themselves on their people, Aregbesola, speaking in an interview on his last day as governor, said the only position he could aspire for was the presidency.
He said he was set to take a deserved rest with his family as he observed that he had neglected his wife over the years because of his political engagements.
While saying that he would not want to be disrespectful to outgoing governors who have Senatorial ambitions, he said that it was not in the character of “progressive governors to retire to the Senate. It is not our pattern in the Southwest.”
His words: “How can you explain this? A governor represents the whole state and falls back to a third? How does that stand?
“The sanctity of the mandate that they have held, it doesn’t even appeal as a viable option.
“By the way, the only position I can contest for now is the position that is higher than where I am now.”
Affirming that he would be proceeding on a long leave, he said he would use the opportunity to abide by his wife who he had neglected in the course of his long political engagements.
He said: “I will be going on long leave. I have not been fair to my wife in terms of attention, so I must commend her for her steadfastness. I want to be with her and my family. By the way, I have never gone on leave since I started my political career.”
