The national secretary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Rauf Aregbesola, has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu, describing his administration’s “renewed hope” agenda as a “scam.”
Mr Aregbesola made the remarks on Tuesday at the ADC national convention held in Abuja, where party leaders and stakeholders gathered to deliberate on the opposition’s strategy ahead of future elections.
Speaking at the event, the former governor of Osun State said the Tinubu administration had failed to deliver on its campaign promises nearly three years after assuming office, insisting that the government continues to recycle rhetoric without tangible outcomes.
According to a report by TheCable, Mr Aregbesola questioned when Nigerians would begin to feel the impact of the “renewed hope” agenda, arguing that the continued repetition of the slogan without results undermines public trust.
“Four years ago, this government promised Nigerians renewed hope. Now, three years into its tenure, it is still promising renewed hope… it is a scam,” he said.
The ADC chieftain accused the federal government of worsening Nigeria’s socio-economic conditions, pointing to rising poverty levels and deteriorating education indicators as evidence of what he described as governance failure. He claimed that the number of out-of-school children has increased, while millions more Nigerians have fallen into multidimensional poverty.
Mr Aregbesola also criticised the administration’s handling of insecurity, alleging that banditry and terrorism have spread across the country under Tinubu’s watch.
He described the current period as one of the worst in terms of national security, while also faulting what he termed a lack of empathy by the president in responding to major attacks.
In a strongly worded warning, he said Nigerians must prevent what he called “scammers” from retaining power, adding that continued governance without accountability could lead to a “kakistocracy”—a system run by the least qualified individuals.
Beyond his criticism of the federal government, Mr Aregbesola also used the platform to defend the leadership structure of the ADC, particularly the emergence of David Mark as chairman of the party.
He maintained that due process was followed and that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was duly notified of the party’s decisions.
He further alleged that INEC’s actions in recent times suggest bias, claiming the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is unsettled by the growing strength of the ADC as an opposition platform.
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