A prominent Nigerian opposition politician has called on President Bola Tinubu to step down, branding the administration’s flagship “Renewed Hope” programme a deception and warning that the country is drifting toward collapse.
Rauf Aregbesola, a former interior minister and one-time close ally of President Tinubu, made the remarks at the national convention of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the capital, Abuja.
“Three years into its four-year term, it still holds promise and offers renewed hope,” Mr Aregbesola said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “When exactly will this hope come into fruition? It is a scam.”
Mr Aregbesola, who previously served as governor of Osun State in south-west Nigeria, has in recent years become one of Mr Tinubu’s most vocal critics after a well-publicised falling out between the two former political allies.
He accused the government of misrepresenting the state of the economy, saying the naira had lost roughly half its value against the dollar since Mr Tinubu took office in May 2023 from around ₦700 to approximately ₦1,400 to the dollar. Fuel prices, he added, had risen from between ₦185 and ₦238 per litre to around ₦1,400, making daily commuting unaffordable for many Nigerian workers.
Mr Aregbesola also condemned what he described as a wave of violent attacks that have claimed lives across the country, accusing the presidency of indifference to the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
He further alleged that the number of children out of school had grown to nearly 20 million under the current administration, while poverty levels had worsened significantly.
Political landscape
In a wide-ranging address, he attacked Nigeria’s electoral framework, alleging that recent legislative changes served the interests of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) rather than the Nigerian people. He also accused unnamed political figures of being falsely credited for engineering divisions within the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The ADC, he said, existed to “reclaim the country from the strangulating grasp of the ruling party,” drawing loud cheers from delegates.
The presidency had not responded to Mr Aregbesola’s remarks at the time of this report.
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