“Power is not a prize to be seized, but a responsibility to be shouldered. It is not a throne to occupy, but a burden to bear with honour.” – Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola
Below is my full acceptance speech as the General Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)
Dear Party Leaders, Distinguished Members, Friends, and Fellow Nigerians,
It is with humility, clarity of vision, and a profound sense of responsibility for our party and our Nation that I accept the appointment as General Secretary of our great party.
I thank the leadership for the trust reposed in me. But more than that, I thank every committed member of this party, those who still believe that politics can be a force for good, and that parties must stand for more than just winning elections.
Let me begin by saying this: a political party is not a platform for opportunism. It is not a vehicle to power for the few, nor a tool for personal ambition over collective good. A political party, in its truest form, is a living institution, built on values, guided by ideals, and accountable to the people it seeks to serve.
Throughout Africa’s history, and particularly in the legacy of the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa, we have seen what a party grounded in ideology, principle, and people-centered struggle can achieve. The ANC was not perfect, but it stood for something. It was forged in resistance, sharpened by vision, and led by Women and Men who believed in justice, dignity, equality, and true freedom. It had character. It had soul.
It is time for a new kind of Politics in our Nation. Politics of Character, Politics of Institution, not Personality. One that we can be proud to pass to the next generation of Nigerians.
While our politics has evolved, the landscape is plagued by parties that lack ideological depth, where merging and splitting, not over policy or principle, but over power and personality is the order of the day. There is little regard for the country, even less for the people.
That is not the kind of party we must be. That is not the kind of party I will serve.
As General Secretary, I will work to build a party that has a clear ideological compass, a party that is rooted in democratic values, social justice, accountability, and national development. A party that listens to the people, not only during elections, but every single day.
We must become an institution where:
• Internal democracy is not just preached but practiced.
• Intra-party competition is transparent, fair, and just.
• Young people and Women are at the centre of participation, not just ceremonial presence.
• All party structures, from the ward to the national level, function with purpose and excellence.
We will draw wisdom from the world’s finest, from Mandela’s South Africa to Sweden’s social democracy, from Chile’s resilience to Kenya’s renewal, adapting what serves our unique Nigerian reality. Discipline, order, clarity of purpose, and service to the people must define us.
We must be the party that champions education as the tool for delivering prosperity for all. That delivers community-based solutions to secure our people, our nation, and our borders. That promises Prosperity and labour to create it. That stands for Nigeria, not just during campaigns, but in the sacred work of daily governance.
This path demands courage. It requires time. It calls for sacrifice. But it can be done.
I ask for your support, not just in words, but in action. Hold me accountable. Challenge me where I falter. And stand with me as we begin this journey to rebuild our party, restore its soul, and return politics to its rightful place, as a service to the people and our nation.
For we understand this eternal truth: power is not a prize to be seized, but a responsibility to be shouldered. It is not a throne to occupy, but a burden to bear with honour. True power lies not in what we can claim for ourselves, but in what we can deliver for our people. This is our covenant with history: Power is Responsibility.
Thank you, and may our work ahead prove worthy of the faith our people place in us.
May God bless our efforts.
Long live our Party. Long live our Democracy. God Bless Nigeria.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola
