Thousands of African Democratic Congress (ADC) supporters in Osun State, led by former governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, gathered on Tuesday at the historic palace of the Orangun of Ila Orangun, Oba Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun (Bibiire I). The event signalled the launch of the party’s tour across the state’s nine federal constituencies.
Addressing the crowd in Yoruba, Aregbesola declared that the major pillars of governance in Nigeria had collapsed, stating that security, infrastructure, education and the economy had deteriorated severely. “When your people are hungry and suffering, and you fail to show compassion, you cannot claim to be an Omoluabi,” he said. “Awolowo and our other founding fathers would not be happy seeing Nigeria in this condition.”
He added that the government had “failed in all the key elements of governance” and that Nigerians had rejected its leadership. “For the past two years, nothing has worked. They have failed woefully in governance,” he said.
Aregbesola explained that the tour was aimed at reawakening public consciousness and mobilising support for the ADC.
“We are here to tell you about the party that will restore responsible leadership and good governance to our country,” he said. “The policies of this administration have pushed thousands into poverty, hunger and hardship.”
He criticised the federal government’s priorities, noting that Nigeria has 37,000 kilometres of federal roads, more than 76 percent of which he said were not motorable.
“Instead of fixing these roads, the government is focusing on a coastal highway that will not address the nation’s economic realities,” he added.
Aregbesola maintained that the current government had performed poorly in security, the economy and education, which he described as the primary indicators of good governance.
“This is what our great party, the ADC, seeks to correct,” he said.
Reflecting on his administration in Osun, he highlighted programmes such as feeding over 50,000 children, empowering more than 60,000 youths and introducing pro-people, welfarist policies.
“This is what we intend to restore when you vote for us in 2026,” he said, urging supporters to spread the message of the ADC across communities in Ila Federal Constituency.
Aregbesola also encouraged residents of Osun to participate actively in the party’s registration exercise, which will be inaugurated tomorrow in Ilesa.
The tour marks another significant step in the ADC’s grassroots mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2026 general elections. It is scheduled to move to the Ayedaade, Irewole and Isokan Federal Constituency on Thursday, 20 November 2025.
