I’m Nigeria’s first gov to rule for eight years without personal house – Aregbesola

Former Osun State Governor and current ADC National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola has claimed he is the first governor in Nigerian history to serve a full eight-year tenure without owning a personal house, disclosing that he lived in a friend’s home throughout his time in office.

Eight years as governor. Zero houses to show for it. At least, that is what Rauf Aregbesola wants Nigerians to know.

The National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress and former Osun State Governor made the striking claim in a video address to his followers, positioning himself as a singular figure in Nigerian political history when it comes to personal asset accumulation — or the lack of it.

“I’m the first governor in Nigeria to rule a state for eight years without owning a house of his own,” Aregbesola declared. “I stayed in my friend’s house for eight years as a governor in my father’s land. Whoever says that what I’m saying is not true should come out and show me the house I own.”

As reported by Daily Post, the former ally of President Bola Tinubu — with whom he has since had a well-documented political falling out — served as Osun State Governor and later as Minister of Interior under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

During his governorship, Aregbesola had articulated ambitious goals for Osun, including eradicating poverty and hunger, tackling unemployment, restoring healthy living, promoting functional education and enhancing communal peace and progress.

The claim arrives at a politically charged moment. Aregbesola is now National Secretary of the ADC — the same party under which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is pursuing his presidential ambitions — and his public profile remains deeply tied to the unfolding political realignments ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.

His governorship tenure ran from 2010 to 2018. No public figures or property records have thus far emerged to contradict his claim.