By Abubakar Yunusa
A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has declared that the ruling All Progressives Congress will be removed from power in the 2027 general elections.
Olawepo-Hashim said no legal or administrative manoeuvres could derail Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, insisting that the country would not slide into authoritarian rule.
The PDP chieftain, a veteran of Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement, accused the APC-led Federal Government of engaging in legal and institutional actions aimed at weakening opposition participation ahead of the next election cycle.
He described the alleged actions as part of a disturbing pattern that could undermine democratic competition if left unchecked.
“We have travelled this road before under Abacha’s dictatorship, and it ended in victory for the forces of genuine democracy, while the plotters of one-man rule were disgraced,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to multiparty democracy, noting that the nation’s founding fathers deliberately chose political pluralism at independence and entrenched it in the Constitution.
“Our founding fathers opted for multiparty democracy, and by the grace of God, that legacy will be preserved,” he added. “No group, no matter how clever or determined, will succeed in destroying Nigeria’s democratic system.”
Warning against any drift towards authoritarianism, he drew parallels with Zaire under the late Mobutu Sese Seko, where prolonged one-man rule weakened democratic institutions.
“One-man rule or one-party rule will not happen here. This is Nigeria,” Olawepo-Hashim said. “We will not allow anyone to reduce our democracy to a tragic parody, as was the case with Zaire under Mobutu.”
He also expressed concern over what he described as selective administrative decisions in the political party registration process.
According to him, while some qualified political associations had stalled in the registration process, others perceived to be aligned with the ruling party were granted interim recognition.
Describing the situation as a warning sign of democratic backsliding, the PDP stalwart called on Nigerians and the international community to remain vigilant in defending democratic norms.
He urged “lovers of democracy across the world” to consider lawful and targeted accountability measures, supported by credible evidence and due process, including travel restrictions and asset freezes against individuals allegedly undermining Nigeria’s multiparty system.
Olawepo-Hashim stressed that democracy could only be safeguarded through transparency, accountability and strict adherence to constitutional principles.
He expressed confidence that, despite current challenges, Nigerians would defend democracy and remove the APC from power peacefully, constitutionally and through the ballot in 2027.
