APC is “A Cult, Not a Political Party,” Says PDP Chieftain
Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former presidential candidate, has described the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as “a cult, not a political party.”
Speaking during an appearance on AIT Democracy Today and later at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, Olawepo-Hashim told PulseNets that the APC operates 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.
According to him, the APC has failed to provide ideology, internal democracy, or any coherent vision for Nigeria’s future. PulseNets learnt that he blamed the ruling party for presiding over what he called an “unprecedented economic collapse 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.
PDP as the “True Democratic Platform”
Olawepo-Hashim reported that, unlike the APC, the PDP has remained Nigeria’s only truly democratic platform where internal debates and divergent views shape collective decisions.
Citing recent developments in Zamfara, he told PulseNets that the solidarity demonstrated by PDP governors around the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, reflected the consultative culture of the party.
“Everything was beautiful. Even the governors had to persuade NEC. This is the PDP tradition alive again,” he said.
He further recalled how the PDP held its leaders accountable in the early 2000s, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“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,” Olawepo-Hashim explained.
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With the 2027 general elections looming, Olawepo-Hashim urged Nigerians to insist on genuine democratic processes and stronger political institutions. He warned that governance without ideology or accountability would continue to deliver poor results.
“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.
The PDP stalwart told PulseNets that political parties must go beyond being election-winning machines and instead function as credible institutions capable of producing vision-driven leadership for Nigeria’s long-term development.
