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The former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has referred to President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” initiative as a scam.
The former Minister of Interior and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while delivering a critical assessment of the current administration at the ADC National Convention in Abuja, also urged Tinubu to resign as President due to worsening insecurity and economic hardship in the country.
“Distinguished delegates and our rival leaders, four years ago, this government promised Nigerians renewed hope for a better future. Now, three years into its four-year term, it still holds promise and offers renewed hope. When exactly will this hope come into fruition? The answer is simple. It is a scam. The answer is what? A scam! If allowed, this regime will continue shouting renewed hope to eternity. We have the duty to stop scammers from retaining power,” Aregbesola said.
Aregbesola stated that the administration has failed to meet major promises, especially in the supply of power, the economy, and the country’s general welfare.
“The administration told Nigerians that if it does not solve the power problem by providing a constant power supply, they should not be voted for a second time. Today, power supply is far worse, with some parts of the country receiving an average of two hours daily, and some other parts of the country also receiving an average of two hours daily. And some have been in darkness for stretches of weeks and months.
“Ordinarily, having made such a promise and fared woefully, an honest president should simply step down and not seek re-election. Rather, what we are witnessing is the most desperate attempt by a candidate in Nigerian electoral history to retain power at all costs, even if it means bringing down the entire democratic system,” he stated.
He also expressed concern that, due to rising transportation costs, Nigerians are having difficulty commuting to work, while condemning ongoing insecurity across the country and blaming the Tinubu administration for what he described as a lack of empathy and failure to protect lives.
Furthermore, the former governor criticised developments in the education sector, claiming that the number of out-of-school children has increased from 18.3 million to nearly 20 million. At the same time, more Nigerians have been pushed into severe poverty.
“We are here because the ADC is on a rescue mission to reclaim the country from the strangulating grasp of the ruling party. The APC is a party which has foisted on the country an electoral law that stinks of forgery, and making false claims in electoral documents is no longer valid; in other words, the ruling party is criminalising criminality.
“The ADC derives its existence from the aspirations and the values of the Nigerian people, who are tired of the deceit and colossal mismanagement to which this country is being subjugated. We owe our existence to the Nigerian Constitution. We declare that freedom of association, including that to form or belong to any political party, is guaranteed and is a fundamental right.”
“Once again, distinguished delegates, the country is drifting, and we cannot allow this continued drift into hopelessness. This is why, as I pointed out earlier, the ADC is on a rescue mission.
“On this, there is no time to spare. We call on all conscientious citizens to join us, because a fence-sitter in movements like this that require decisiveness is either a traitor or a collaborator with those who seek to destroy our country,” he added.
In conclusion, Aregbesola positioned the ADC as an alternative platform and called on Nigerians to support the party.
