Special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday, dismissed the African Democratic Congress as a gathering of “desperate politicians” without a clear national agenda.
Onanuga was reacting to ADC chieftain, Rauf Aregbesola’s criticism of Tinubu’s government during the party’s National Convention in Abuja.
National Secretary of the ADC, Aregbesola, had described the APC-led administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda as a “classic scam”.
But in a swift reaction to this in a post shared on his X handle, Onanuga wrote “No, Rauf. The real scammers are the politicians inside the SPV called ADC.”
Onanuga accused Aregbesola of repeating opposition talking points and attempting to distort the government’s record.
He wrote, “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.”
The presidential spokesman also criticised Aregbesola for what he described as a refusal to reflect on his own time in public office.
“His eight years as governor of Osun State were characterised by unmitigated hardship for the people, civil servants went unpaid for months and pensioners suffered greatly.”
Speaking on Aregbesola’s tenure as Minister of Interior, Onanuga said, “During his four years, obtaining a Nigerian passport became a nightmarish process, and there were multiple jailbreaks, including the infamous Kuje prison escape.”
He argued that it was “ironic” for Aregbesola to now speak on insecurity, saying, “For someone who failed so woefully to secure our correctional centres. it is ironic that Aregbesola now seeks to lecture others on insecurity.”
Defending the current administration, Onanuga stated, “The Tinubu administration has never shied away from acknowledging that policy reforms have brought unintended consequences but we have introduced numerous relief measures, including cash transfers and support for small businesses.”
He added that economic indicators were improving under the reforms. “We have seen increased GDP, stronger foreign reserves, and a bullish stock market reflecting growing investor confidence.”
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is not a scam.”
