The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has fired back at a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aegbesola, for saying that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) never had a vision, adding that its Renewed Hope agenda was a scam!

Aregbesola spoke during the presentation of the Secretariat Report of the (ADC) at the 8th National Convention, which was held in Abuja.

Delivering a speech, Aregbesola reiterated that the ADC is the only hope for the Nigerian masses.

He said, "We are here because the ADC is on a rescue mission to pry 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 states that forgery and making false claims in electoral documents is no longer a punishable electoral offence. In other words, the ruling party is decriminalizing criminality.

"We proclaim our existence because our country is worth all necessary sacrifices.

"We cannot allow kakistocracy in Nigeria. The government’s claim that the recent reduction in the exchange rate shows its mastery of economics is false. In truth, the exchange rate, which was about N700 to the dollar when this government assumed office in 2023, is now about N1,400. This amounts to a 100 per cent devaluation. In an import-dependent economy, this is devastating.

"Before this administration, the cost of a litre of fuel was between N185 and N238, depending on which part of the country you were in; now it is about N1,400 per litre and still rising. The cost of transportation is now so prohibitive that it has become unrealistic for some workers to go to work.

"The administration told Nigerians that if it does not solve the power problem by providing a constant power supply, it should not be voted for a second term. Today, power supply is far worse, with some parts of the country receiving an average of two hours daily and some being in darkness for weeks and months at a stretch.

"Ordinarily, having made such a promise and failed woefully, an honest president should simply step down and not seek reelection. 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."

Reacting, Onanuga dismissed Aregbesola's claim, stating that the real scammers are the politicians inside the SPV called ADC.

He said in a statement, "My attention has been drawn to Rauf Aregbesola’s attack on the Tinubu administration at today's illegal elective convention of the ADC—a party of desperados and power mongers who, to date, have not articulated any credible plan for Nigeria. At the event, Aregbesola reportedly called on his former boss, mentor, and benefactor to resign, parroting the opposition’s warped narratives about the economy and orchestrated reports of terrorist attacks in some parts of the country.

"Unfortunately, Aregbesola did not undertake any honest self-reflection on his own record in public office—as governor or as Minister of Interior. His eight years as governor of Osun State were characterised by unmitigated hardship for the people. Under his half-baked socialist policies, civil servants went unpaid for months, and those who were paid received only a fraction of their salaries. It is to Aregbesola’s infamy that Osun became known as a state receiving negative federal allocation and paying just 20 to 30 per cent of normal salaries. It was worse for pensioners in Aregbesola's Osun State. Many pensioners who relied on their meagre monthly payments died because they were not paid at all.

"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. 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.

"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, 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.

"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."