Former presidential candidate and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of lacking ideology, internal democracy, and a coherent vision for Nigeria’s future.
Speaking on AIT’s Democracy Today programme and later at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja over the weekend, Olawepo-Hashim described the APC as “an authoritarian movement” rather than a political party.
“In the APC, one or two individuals hand down instructions for everyone else to obey like zombies. That is not a political party; it is a cult,” he declared.
He blamed the APC for presiding over worsening insecurity and economic collapse, noting that Nigeria’s GDP had dropped from over $570 billion in 2014 to less than $300 billion in 2025 under its leadership.
“They crashed GDP per capita from over $3,000 to below $1,000. They also expanded insecurity from the North East to engulf the North West, North Central, and South East,” he added.
By contrast, Olawepo-Hashim said the PDP remains Nigeria’s “truly democratic party,” where internal debates shape decisions. He cited the recent display of unity in Zamfara State, where PDP governors rallied behind national chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum, as evidence of the party’s consultative culture.
“Everything was beautiful. Even the governors had to persuade NEC. This is the PDP tradition alive again,” he said.
He recalled the PDP’s history of competitive internal politics, referencing the 2003 presidential primaries in which then President Olusegun Obasanjo faced challenges from Alex Ekwueme, Barnabas Gemade, and Abubakar Rimi.
“As a NEC member in 1999, I witnessed how the PDP held President Obasanjo accountable to the party. In 2003, despite being president, he faced primaries. That is democracy,” Olawepo-Hashim noted.
Urging Nigerians to demand higher standards of political organisation ahead of the 2027 elections, he warned that governance without ideology or accountability structures cannot deliver prosperity.
“The APC exists purely as a vehicle for personal ambition and power acquisition. The PDP, with its disagreements and reconciliations, is still the only party where internal debates influence outcomes. Nigerians must insist on genuine democratic processes if we are to secure better leadership,” he stated.
According to him, political parties should go beyond serving as “election-winning machines” and function as institutions capable of producing vision-driven leadership for national development.
