Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a chieftain and presidential hopeful of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “a cult, not a political party.”
Olawepo-Hashim said the ruling party lacks ideology, internal democracy, and a coherent vision for Nigeria’s future.
Speaking on AIT Democracy Today and later at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja over the weekend, the former presidential candidate alleged that the APC functions more like an authoritarian movement than a democratic platform.
“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 said.
Olawepo-Hashim argued that the APC has presided over unprecedented economic decline and worsening insecurity.
“They promised change, and indeed they brought change — by dragging Nigeria’s GDP from over $570 billion in 2014 to less than $300 billion in 2025.
“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 said.
Comparing the APC with the PDP, he maintained that the opposition party remains Nigeria’s “truly democratic platform,” where divergent views and internal debates shape decisions.
He cited the recent show of solidarity in Zamfara, where PDP governors rallied behind the national chairman, 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.
Olawepo-Hashim recalled the internal contest in 2003 when then-President Olusegun Obasanjo was subjected to a competitive primary election.
“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 against leaders like Alex Ekwueme, Barnabas Gemade, and Abubakar Rimi. That is democracy,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to demand higher standards of political organisation as the 2027 elections approach, warning that governance without ideology or accountability 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 said.
According to him, political parties must be more than election-winning machines; they must serve as institutions capable of producing vision-driven leadership for national development.
