Former presidential candidate and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has called on Nigerians to rise above political, ethnic, and religious divisions in order to “rescue the nation from the evil that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has become.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Olawepo-Hashim accused the ruling party of plunging the country into economic hardship, worsening poverty, and deepening national disunity through what he described as “reckless governance.”

“Nigerians must unite to defeat the evil that the APC now represents,” he declared. “The hardship caused by their policies affects everyone Christian, Muslim, or traditionality without discrimination.”

The PDP stalwart criticized what he termed a decade of “economic mismanagement” under the APC, alleging that the nation’s economy had suffered an unprecedented decline. “In ten years, APC’s reckless policies have dragged our GDP from $574 billion in 2014 to less than $259 billion today. That’s an economic collapse without precedent,” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim further accused the government of “fiscal vandalism,” claiming that Nigeria’s public debt had ballooned from ₦12 trillion in 2014 to about ₦198 trillion. “That is an increase of over 1,500%. It is unforgivable,” he stated.

He cautioned citizens against succumbing to the ruling party’s “divisive tactics,” stressing that economic hardship and insecurity transcend ethnic and regional boundaries. “The crisis we face is not North versus South it’s all of us versus failure. Hunger has no tribe; poverty has no religion,” he said.

On insecurity, the former presidential hopeful lamented what he described as a total breakdown of law and order. “From terrorism to kidnapping, no community is safe anymore. Our farmers can’t farm, investors are fleeing, and the nation is bleeding,” he noted.

Olawepo-Hashim also appealed to opposition leaders to shelve personal ambitions and collaborate toward rebuilding the nation. “We don’t all need to be in one party, but we must unite around fair elections and credible governance,” he advised.

Expressing optimism about Nigeria’s future, he said citizens are increasingly ready for genuine change, predicting that the APC would lose in any free and fair election. “The party’s approval rating is below 20% nationwide. Nigerians are tired of deceit and decline,” he asserted.

He concluded with a rallying call for national awakening: “Nigeria cannot survive on borrowed time or borrowed money. The APC has driven us to the edge. Now is the time to push back and reclaim our future.”