Special adviser of President Bola Tinubu in Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has dismissed the African Democratic Congress, ADC, as a gathering of “desperate politicians” without a clear national agenda.
Onanuga spoke while reacting to ADC chieftain Rauf Aregbesola’s criticism of Tinubu’s government during the party’s National Convention in Abuja on Tuesday.
This online medium earlier reported that the National Secretary of the ADC, Aregbesola, described the APC-led administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda as a “classic scam”.
Reacting 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 said “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.”
He 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 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 further 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,” Onanuga insisted.
