Sacking Tinubu: Bayo Onanuga Slams Aregbesola for Calling 'Renewed Hope' a Scam
- President Bola Tinubu's media aide, Bayo Onanuga, responded sharply to former Osun state governor Rauf Aregbesola's criticism of the Tinubu-led administration
- Aregbesola had accused Tinubu's 'Renewed Hope' agenda of being a scam during the ADC convention in Abuja
- However, Nigerians on social media slammed both Aregbesola and President Tinubu for failures in governance and security
President Tinubu's media aide, Bayo Onanuga, has taken a swipe at Rauf Aregbesola, the former minister of interior and an ex-governor of Osun state, over his criticism of the Renewed Hope agenda.
Aregbesola, who was a former protege of President Tinubu, fell apart with his former boss over the 2022 governorship election in Osun state and subsequently joined the coalition led by the former vice president Atiku. The coalition later adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its party, and Aregbesola was made its national secretary.
Source: Twitter
Onanuga slams Aregbesola over Tinubu criticism
At the ADC national convention in Abuja on Tuesday, April 14, Aregbesola said Tinubu's "Renewed Hope" agenda was a scam and urged Nigerians not to trust his former boss. However, a legal practitioner, Binzak Azeez, while speaking with Legit.ng, said, "it is against the spirit of democracy to foist a political choice on the people."
Reacting to his claim, Bayo Onanuga, the president's special adviser on information and strategy, said Aregbesola failed as a governor and as a minister under the immediate past administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari.
He recalled Aregbesola's administration as the governor of Osun state, where he paid half salary, and left the state in huge debt. The system impoverished the workers and pensioners.
The president's aide also explained that Nigeria recorded its highest number of jailbreaks under Aregbesola's watch as the minister of interior, adding that the former governor did not have the moral standing to criticise insecurity under President Tinubu.
Onanuga's statement reads in part:
"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."
Nigerians react as presidency replies to Aregbesola
However, Onanuga's statement has drawn reactions from Nigerians on social media. Below are some of their comments:
Umar Muhammad Yakubu criticised insecurity under Tinubu:
"Why should any part of this country be under terrorist occupation? In any civilised country, BAT should resign."
Source: Twitter
Nwach criticised the presidency:
"The scammers are those pretending to be defenders of democracy but are today's destroyers of democracy. Tinubu remains the greatest threat to Nigeria's democracy."
Ogbontarigi criticised the former governor:
"I cannot imagine how he sleeps at night. A failure as governor, could not pay salary, only to be sharing “Opon Imo” with a bogus budget to siphon money. At the interior ministry, he failed woefully with Odo Oju Eja. Judas Iscariot will probably be honoured before Rauf."
Apex Hodde wrote:
"Good to know that you are following the ADC convention closely. Pay attention to how things are done in a real democratic setting."
Read the full statement on X below:
Amaechi explains how to sack Tinubu
Legit.ng earlier reported that Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transportation, told the ADC that a viable candidate is needed to sack President Tinubu in 2027.
Amaechi, who was a two-term governor of Rivers, also urged the coalition members to void religious and tribal sentiments.
However, the former minister's message to the ADC members has started generating mixed reactions from Nigerians.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
