Aregbesola’s Empty Boast: Lagos APC Fires Back At Ex-Minister’s 2027 “Takeover” Claim

The Lagos State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has fired a blistering response to former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, over his boast that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will “take over Aso Rock and Lagos Government House” in 2027.

In a strongly worded statement signed by its spokesman, Hon. Seye Oladejo, on Sunday, September 14, 2025, the party dismissed Aregbesola’s declaration as an “empty boast” unworthy of serious political consideration, describing the former Osun governor as a man “dismantling his own legacy.”

The Lagos APC spared no words in mocking the former ally-turned-rival. Once a formidable figure within the progressive fold, Aregbesola served as Lagos Commissioner, Osun Governor, and Minister of Interior under the APC platform. According to Oladejo, Aregbesola has now been reduced to “a wandering tenant in a mushroom opposition party.”

“Here is a man who was once a proud landlord in the progressive family, now reduced to setting fire to the very house that made him. That, dear Nigerians, is political suicide of the highest order,” the statement declared.

The APC accused Aregbesola of shredding his own résumé by attacking the party that gave him a national platform. “Every attack on APC is an attack on the very foundation of his career. It is akin to a man writing his autobiography with an eraser. Nigerians know better than to take such a self-destructive messenger seriously,” Oladejo noted.

Party insiders told First Weekly Magazine that APC leaders view Aregbesola’s outbursts as less of a political threat and more of a desperate attempt to stay relevant after years of dwindling influence.

The statement also ridiculed the ADC for adopting Aregbesola as its arrowhead ahead of 2027, warning that the party is walking into political oblivion. “If the ADC thinks Aregbesola is the one to lead them to electoral glory, then they are preparing for a funeral, not a victory. Putting Aregbe at the front of a charge against APC is a recipe for failure,” Oladejo declared.

Analysts say the ADC, which has struggled to win meaningful votes in previous elections, may find Aregbesola’s larger-than-life persona attractive, but the risks of political baggage and broken alliances may outweigh the gains.

The Lagos APC emphasized that Nigerian politics is rooted in performance and track record, not “wishful soundbites.” “Lagos and Nigeria are not conquered by boasts. Our people vote for performance, not fairy tales. The APC’s record is visible on the roads, in schools, in hospitals, and in reforms. ADC, on the other hand, remains a political mirage – loud on boasts, empty on substance,” the party said.

The APC pointed to ADC’s “woeful and embarrassing performance” in recent by-elections as proof that the party remains a fringe player with little electoral value.

Looking ahead, the ruling party predicted a resounding victory in 2027, claiming that Lagosians and Nigerians would once again choose “consistency over confusion, credibility over contradictions, and competence over comedy.” The statement added that betrayal and bitterness would never serve as a political strategy.

In its conclusion, the Lagos APC dismissed Aregbesola’s outbursts as a “public obituary of his political relevance.” “By turning his back on the progressive family that made him, Aregbesola has written himself out of history and into the footnotes of infamy. If ADC insists on betting its future on him, then the only takeover awaiting them in 2027 will be a takeover by ridicule,” the party declared.

The spokesman ended with a confident assertion: “APC is here to stay. Movements don’t collapse because one man chooses to self-destruct.”

Aregbesola’s defection to ADC marks one of the most dramatic fallouts within the progressive fold since 1999. While he still retains loyalists, particularly in Osun State, his breakaway has been met with skepticism by many who see him as a politician struggling to reinvent himself outside the APC machinery.

For now, the political battlefield is being drawn for 2027, and if Lagos APC’s scathing words are anything to go by, the contest promises to be as fiery as it is unpredictable.