Hashim: APC Wouldn’t Score 20% In Free, Fair Election

Gbenga Olawepo Hashim, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has claimed that President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) would struggle to secure even 20 per cent of the vote if a free and fair election were held today.

Hashim made the remarks on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, asserting that the APC leadership is well aware of its unpopularity among the electorate.

“If opposition is dead and buried, why are they afraid of free and fair elections? The APC is afraid,” Hashim said. “Now, all the propagandists, all the internet boys can celebrate President Tinubu as a strategist, but he’s certainly not a fool. He has done the polls, and he knows that a free and fair election, the APC cannot score 20 per cent of the vote.”

Hashim added that internal divisions within the APC compound the party’s challenges and are worse than those of the PDP. “Even within their party, they know those who are waiting to bite them by the back,” he said. “They have more issues than the PDP.”

He also criticised what he described as the greed of the Nigerian political elite, contrasting it with the relative honesty of grassroots politicians. “The Nigerian political elite is very greedy substantially. And they want to stay where the pie is. Now, the grassroots are a bit more honest about the way they behave,” Hashim said.

Reflecting on the PDP’s historical strength at the local level, Hashim highlighted the party’s roots as a coalition of 13 political associations, which helped it dominate local government elections in 1998. “Because the PDP was formed as a grassroots party, comprising of 13 political associations, who individually would have been independent political parties, the PDP won two-thirds of seats during the local government election,” he said.

He further recalled his early political experience, noting that the PDP had significant influence across various councils, including Rekwadun, Ishin, and Oyu local governments.

Hashim’s comments come amid increasing debates about Nigeria’s electoral credibility and the performance of the ruling APC ahead of upcoming elections, with critics highlighting perceived unpopularity and internal party conflicts