Presidency Hits Back at AREGBESOLA, Dubs ADC as SPV Populated by Desperados, Power Mongers

The Presidency has dismissed RAUF AREGBESOLA’s verbal attack on the BOLA TINUBU Administration, saying that the party he represents has not articulated any credible plan for Nigeria. Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, BAYO ONANUGA, said AREGBESOLA’s ADC represents a Special Purpose Vehicle, made up of desperados, power mongers and scammers. ONANUGA said in criticizing the TINUBU Government, AREGBESOLA failed to do an honest self-reflection on his own record in public office, bot as governor of Osun State and as Minister of Interior under late President MUHAMMADU BUHARI. He said those periods were characterized by unmitigated hardship for the people, particularly under what he called AREGBESOLA’s half-baked socialist policies in Osun State. "This is the same man who now has the effrontery to attack the Tinubu administration, despite his tenure in Osun leaving a legacy of unpaid salaries, financial recklessness, abandoned projects, and misguided policies that brought the state to ruin" he noted. "His immediate successor, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, worked hard to clean up much of the mess left behind, and Governor Adeleke is still dealing with the consequences. "Aregbesola’s second line of attack against President Tinubu is equally hypocritical. As Minister of Interior under President Muhammadu Buhari, his tenure witnessed the highest number of jailbreaks in Nigeria’s history—including the infamous Kuje Prison escape in Abuja. During his four years, obtaining a Nigerian passport became a nightmarish process, and there were 15 major attacks on correctional facilities in Jos, Abolongo, Imo, Kabba, and Okitipupa, resulting in over 4,000 inmates escaping to join criminal elements. "For someone who failed so woefully to secure our correctional centres and uphold his duties between 2019 and 2023, it is ironic that Aregbesola now seeks to lecture others on insecurity. Maybe he thinks the entire Nigerian population suffers from amnesia. Politicians may indulge in cheap talk and easy criticism, but Nigerians must never forget the abysmal records of Rauf and his fellow desperados. Nigerians must remain vigilant, lest power-hungry individuals with no programme attempt to hoodwink them. Because they have no credible programme, they are weaponising the isolated terrorist attacks, as if the problem started from this administration." BAYO ONANUGA said the Tinubu administration has never shied away from acknowledging that policy reforms have brought unintended consequences, impacting the most vulnerable. "However, over the last three years, the government has introduced numerous relief measures to mitigate these effects—including increasing the minimum wage by over 100 per cent, making cash transfers to the vulnerable, assisting small-scale enterprises, and reducing inflation to less than 15 per cent from over 25 per cent at the start of the reforms, with food prices crashing. The government will continue to implement policies to alleviate hardship and support the most vulnerable in our society." On security, ONANUGA said "the Tinubu administration has been supporting the military, the DSS and the intelligence agencies. The government has been investing in more and more equipment for the military and has sought assistance from foreign governments to battle the inherited scourge of terrorism and banditry." He said the administration's Renewed Hope Programme is on track and has received global praise. We have seen the effects of how it has increased GDP and our foreign reserves, made our country the toast of investors, and made our stock market bullish and prosperous. "No, Rauf, the Renewed Hope Agenda is not a scam. The real scammers are the politicians gathered inside the SPV called ADC."