By MBACHU GODWIN, Abuja
National Secretary of the opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former governor of Osun State , Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has mocked the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC , over their belief that the defection of opposition governors to their party will earn it victory at the 2027 Polls.
Aregbesola stated this Tuesday at a book launch in Abuja by the party National Publicity Secretary , Mallam Bolaji Abdhllahi , titled ” The Loyalist”
The former minister of Interior said “I still want to say something more. Something is going on that is worrisome, especially for those of us who are Democrats or aspire to be general Democrats. The fact that certain governors are defecting to the APC shows that our unity (ADC leaders) is weakened. I laugh because recent statistics in Nigeria, based on the last election, do not support this belief. In the past, to quit the government and the federal social, let them commit to a free and fair electoral process. We will then see if it is true.
“The second point is a scenario where I want to use results from two zones—just two zones—to show that when a party controls a state, it may not necessarily translate to votes. I want to use the results from the Southwest and Southeast. In the Southwest, the APC controlled all the states except one. Despite this, the maximum performance of the party in that election was 55%, with the other parties sharing the rest.
“The same applied in Lagos. The APC candidate lost his ward, local government, and state, even in Pain State where his nephew was a governor So please, for goodness’ sake, when it is claimed that governors win elections against the people’s will—where? That is the Southwest.
“In the Southeast, the result is even more striking. The APC had only 5.8% of the total vote from that zone. I’ll stop at that. The results of these two zones clearly show that governors do not win elections—the people do. What we require from the government in charge of the election is a commitment to a free and fair process. So first, commit yourself to a free and fair election, and let us see what the result will be. That’s what we’re asking.”
Speaking, National Chairman of the ADC, Sen. David Mark who hailed the author of the book and Spokesman of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdhllahi, reintegrated that the ADC was in a mission to rescue Nigeria and urged Nigerians to embrace the party.
Meanwhile, former vice president and a Staunch chieftain of the ADC elogised Malam Bolaji Abdhllahi for his poetic licence and invoking a debate on loyalty . He urged leaders of the party to unite and oust the Tinubu administration ,which according to him has damaged the country’s National Life..
“Finally, we have a unique opportunity within the ADC as a political party. It is a convergence of various political leanings across the country, united in an effort to reunite Nigeria and renew our democratic journey. If there is anything positive in our recent political development, it is this coming together to rescue the country from what I consider the worst administration I have witnessed in nearly four decades of political life. Not even the military dictatorships before 1999 damaged our national life and consciousness in the way this administration has done.
“Many of us here were part of the formation of the APC. Unfortunately, what we believed would rescue the country has not happened. Just as we once took responsibility to come together and form a political alternative, we must again come together to ensure the emergence of a new political organisation capable of salvaging this country for the benefit of its people”
Responding , Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated, “For 2027, Nigerians are ready. But I don’t think we are ready. We are not coming together enough. We are not holding hands enough. Nigerians look at us; they see different enclaves and different entities. They see competition rather than cooperation.
“I know I am talking myself into trouble again. I have been under fire in the last three days by some of the passionate supporters on Twitter. But I will keep saying this, because Nigeria, this country, has no substitute, has no alternative. So I want to use this opportunity, please. Because more than I appreciate all the money you have pledged, I was telling my wife that maybe I should actually be a full-time writer, because it appears to be more lucrative.
“But more than I appreciate all the money, more than the money, I beg you—our leaders, I beg you. Nigerians are waiting. I was in Delta some weeks before the end of last year. The people at the airport who recognized me came to me and said, ‘Please, we know you. You people must not fail.’ And I get that everywhere I have gone. I’m sure you also get it.
“I am making this appeal: please, come together more. Let our followers direct their passion into the ADC. Let them know there is only one party, and our mission is bigger than anything—any individual or individual ambition. This is what I’m begging. So it is my hope that if this is the only thing that this gathering this afternoon is able to achieve, Alhamdulillah.”
