Following the formal launch of the African Democratic Congress in Abuja, a former Interior Minister and interim national secretary of the party, Rauf Aregbesola, returned to Lagos on Friday with a crucial message for his party’s supporters.

Aregbesola cautioned ADC members against insulting or attacking supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress as the newly formed coalition sets its sights on unseating the Tinubu administration, under whom he served as a commissioner for works and infrastructure in Lagos State.

In a statement released via his social media handles on Friday, the former minister thanked supporters who came to receive him at the Lagos airport.

He urged them not to fight, attack or insult anyone, adding that the task before them is immense.

He said that when supporters of the ruling party attack them, they should challenge them with facts about the state of the country.

The statement read, “I sincerely thank our supporters and members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) who came out to receive me on my arrival in Lagos. The task before us is immense, and I reminded everyone that we do not need to fight, insult, or attack anyone.

“When others resort to abuse or name-calling, we must rise above it. Instead, ask them one simple question: Are Nigerians better off today than they were before? Challenge them with facts  on food inflation, the economy, the rising cost of living, and the deepening poverty affecting millions.

“Let our debates remain focused on the issues that matter. Articulate our position clearly and confidently. Explain why our new political home, the ADC, represents a credible and necessary alternative for Nigeria’s progress and long-term sustainability.”

The former Governor of Osun State was once a close ally of President Tinubu. Their political association started in 1999, when Tinubu was governor of Lagos.

They fell apart in 2022, when Tinubu’s nephew, Gboyega Oyetola, who succeeded Aregbesola, was running for a second term in Osun State on the platform of the APC.

But Aregbesola’s political group, ‘Omoluabi’, did not support Oyetola’s candidacy. The conflict that ensued prompted Aregbesola’s group to support Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Consequently, Oyetola lost his reelection bid to Adeleke.