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”This is the worst administration I have witnessed in my four decades of political life’, Atiku says
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As former Governors, top politicians, others gather in Abuja for public presentation of ‘The Loyalist’
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
Former Governor of Osun State and erstwhile Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has declared that the fact that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, currently has thirty (30) serving Governors does not translate to automatic re-election for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Aregbesola, a former core loyalist of Tinubu, made it pointedly clear that victory, in a free and fair election, is not determined by the number of Governors but by the electorate/voters.
Aregbesola, a former Commissioner for Works in Lagos State under the administration of the then Governor Tinubu and current National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the launching of the book, The Loyalist’, authored by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of ADC and one time Minister of Sports in the country.
This is as former Vice President and chieftain of ADC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has described the present government of President Bola Tinubu as “the worst administration he had ever witnessed in “nearly four decades of my political life”.
Atiku pointed out that not even the military dictatorship before 1999 “damaged our national life and consciousness in the way this administration has done”.
The book launch, which had Atiku as Special Guest of honour and Senator David Mark as Chairman,
attracted former Governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto); Peter Obi (Anambra); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Chief John Odigie-Oyegun (Edo); Emeka Ihedioha (Imo); Prof O. Osunbor (Edo) and Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara) among others.
Aregbesola, speaking at the event, said,
“Loyalty must be to a cause, not individual. That 30 Governors are supporting a candidate does not mean that the candidate is not defeatable.
Governors don’t win election in states, the people do.
“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.
“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. 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”, he said.
In his address, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said, ‘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 present APC government as 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
“So I ask: why does this book matter to all of us? The Loyalist invites us to examine loyalty—to country, community, institutions, and to our own moral compass—vis-à-vis personal loyalty, especially in a time of rapid change and competing narratives.
“The book offers a principled lens for distinguishing truth from rhetoric. It challenges us to consider how loyalty can unite us in the service of a shared and just future.
“Many of us here—particularly Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, Abdullahi, and myself—have suffered because of loyalty. I have personally faced exile as a result of loyalty. I have survived assassination attempts as a result of loyalty.
“So, Bolaji, what you may have found through research is not unusual; it is part of the price many of us have paid.
Loyalty should strengthen the common goal, not narrow the circle of belonging. “It requires accountability, transparency, and the ability to listen and learn—especially from those with whom we disagree.
“True loyalty embraces diversity of thought and protects the dignity of every citizen. As leaders and aspiring leaders, these are lessons we must bear in mind for leadership and public service”, Atiku maintained.
