Former presidential candidate, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has urged Nigerians to unite across political, ethnic, and religious lines to rescue the nation from what he described as the failed leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of wrecking the economy and deepening national divisions.

In a statement he personally signed on Monday, Olawepo-Hashim said the APC-led administration had plunged Nigeria into unprecedented debt, worsened poverty, and presided over rising insecurity that has left the nation “bleeding profusely.”

He alleged that the ruling party’s policies had led to economic contraction, widespread hardship, and a steep decline in Nigeria’s global standing.

“Nigerians must unite to defeat the evil that the APC has come to represent, regardless of party affiliations, ethnic differences, or religion. The mindless policies of increased poverty, high inflation, and economic decline are ravaging all Nigerians equally, without asking whether you are Christian, Muslim, or animist,” he declared.

Olawepo-Hashim argued that the APC’s decade in power had “wrecked” the national economy, claiming that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell from $574 billion in 2014 to less than $259 billion.

“The APC’s ten years of consistently wrong policies have wrecked our national economy. They contracted our GDP from $574 billion in 2014 to less than $259 billion today — a disaster unparalleled in our economic history,” he stated.

He further accused the administration of fiscal recklessness, alleging that the nation’s debt profile had ballooned by over 1,500 percent within a decade.

“The APC ballooned our national debt from N12 trillion at the end of 2014 to about N198 trillion now — an increase of over 1,500%. That is economic vandalism,” he said.

On insecurity, Olawepo-Hashim lamented what he called the “breakdown of law and order,” warning that the surge in kidnapping, terrorism, and banditry had crippled agriculture, discouraged investment, and worsened economic hardship.

“At the security front, the nation is bleeding profusely. From kidnapping to terrorism, no part of the country is safe. We cannot stop insecurity unless we send the APC out of power,” he cautioned.

He urged Nigerians to reject divisive politics, stressing that hunger and poverty know no boundaries.

“Hunger has no tribe. Poverty has no religion. The evil is one, and so must our response be,” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim also called on opposition leaders to unite around shared programmes such as electoral reform, transparent governance, and economic recovery.

“For my fellow political leaders in the opposition, I call on everyone to unite. We don’t all have to be in one party, but our unity must be built around shared programmes,” he added.

Expressing optimism about Nigerians’ readiness for change ahead of the 2027 general elections, he maintained that the APC would lose in any credible poll.