Speaking during a ceremony in Lagos on Saturday, Aregbesola,
interim national secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), welcomed
stakeholders from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party and other
groups to the coalition.

Making reference to a statement credited to Obafemi Awolowo,
Aregbesola said Nigeria’s current political order has failed the people and
must give way to a new system that prioritises their welfare.

“Embedded in this profound statement, and drawing from the
Hegelian notion of dialectics, is the unavoidable truth that the existing
political order, which is the thesis, will be confronted by its antithesis,
bringing it to an end. A new order will therefore emerge as the synthesis,”
Aregbesola said.

“The cost of living is so high that starvation is literally
stalking the land. Any government that does not make the wellbeing of its
people the basis of governance will soon lose relevance and collapse.”

The former Osun governor added that insecurity across the
country, the high cost of drugs, and increasing hardship show why a new
political force is necessary.

“There is a limit to how much the people can be squeezed and
pushed before something eventually gives,” he said

“This is why our mission is urgent and our intervention has
become absolutely necessary. We must act now to save the nation.”

Aregbesola further said “what we did in Lagos is still
unbeatable. We defeated a candidate there against all odds”, referencing the
defeat of President Bola Tinubu, his former ally, in Lagos during the 2023
presidential election.

He added that he is “encouraged by the enthusiasm” of
politicians and citizens who are joining the ADC.

The event is part of the ADC’s wider mobilisation drive
ahead of the 2027 general election, after the opposition coalition adopted the
party as its platform.