By Nnaoke Ufere, PhD
For nearly a quarter of a century, two political dinosaurs—the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)—have taken turns at the helm of Nigeria’s leadership. They have wielded power, dictated policies, and controlled our nation’s vast resources, yet the result has been nothing short of a monumental failure.
Though they bear different names, both parties are afflicted by the same malignant disease—a genetic disorder that predisposes them to fielding presidential candidates defined by corruption, incompetence, unethical behavior, and catastrophic mismanagement and waste.
This defective Y chromosome, deeply embedded in their political DNA, is relentlessly passed down to every man who rises within their ranks. It ensures a perpetual cycle of failed leadership, where greed supersedes governance, deception replaces accountability, and the nation suffers under the weight of their inherited dysfunction.
For over 25 years, Nigeria’s wealth has been plundered under the alternating rule of the PDP and APC. According to the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and AMJ analysis, from 1999 to 2024, our oil and gas sector generated a staggering $864.05 billion in revenue.
Yet, during this same period, the country’s total public debt ballooned to $113.42 billion. In total, successive APC and PDP governments have presided over the spending of more than $977.47 billion—nearly a trillion dollars.
Where did all that money go? Did it build modern infrastructure? Did it create a world-class education system? Did it ensure quality healthcare, lower infant mortality, or universal health insurance? Did it produce a high-growth economy or a thriving job market?
Did it guarantee food security, moderate inflation, or national security? Did it go into crushing Boko Haram, eliminating insurgents, dismantling kidnapping rings, or eradicating armed robbery?
Did it provide affordable and reliable electricity? Did it give us good roads, affordable housing, or a battle-ready military? No. Not a single one.
So, where is the money? Every Nigerian and the world already know the answer: it has been stolen. It has been siphoned, embezzled, and looted by those in power.
Year after year, election after rigged election, Nigerians placed their hopes in PDP or APC leaders who were never interested in governance—only in power, patronage, and personal enrichment.
Their rule has left Nigeria economically bankrupt, socially fractured, institutionally hollow, dangerously insecure, and deeply corrupt.
Under their ruinous leadership, contracts are inflated, public funds disappear, and when scandals erupt, they are either swept under the rug or used as tools for political blackmail.
Time and again, the EFCC announces that billions have vanished without a trace, yet no one is held accountable. No real reforms, no consequences—just a relentless cycle of corruption, incompetence, and mismanagement that keeps crippling the nation.
APC and PDP blame each other for Nigeria’s problems, yet they are merely different factions of the same criminal enterprise. The only difference is which group of politicians is looting more at any given moment. Granted, a few honorable men and women remain in both parties, deserving of the nation’s goodwill. Unfortunately, they are overshadowed and outnumbered by the corrupt majority.
Under their watch, terrorism, banditry, and kidnappings have spiraled out of control, turning vast regions of the country into lawless territories. Farmers are unable to access their lands due to insecurity, driving food inflation to crisis levels and plunging millions into hunger.
Nigeria’s economic indicators have experienced significant declines over the past decades under their inept governments, reflecting a sharp contraction in national prosperity.
In 2014, Nigeria’s GDP per capita was approximately $3,201. By 2024, it had declined to $1,682, indicating a substantial decrease in individual wealth. The economy shrank from $574.18 billion in 2014 to $375 billion in 2024, highlighting the nation’s prolonged economic struggles.
Under PDP and APC, FDI has plunged from $8.8 billion in 2011 to $1.8 billion in 2024—a staggering 80% decline. Meanwhile, 390 international companies have fled, taking jobs, investments, and economic stability with them. Local businesses are collapsing under the weight of crippling policies, leaving Nigeria in economic freefall.
Corruption in procurement and the bureaucracy is evident everywhere—abandoned high-cost projects, inflated contracts, a failing power transmission grid, epileptic electricity shortages, bad roads, and substandard constructions that fall apart the moment they’re commissioned.
Under APC and PDP, the judiciary is a scam, where justice is for sale, available only to the wealthy and politically connected, while ordinary Nigerians face a broken legal system that offers them no protection. Evidence is no longer a requirement for the rule of law; instead, money, privilege, and status determine legal outcomes.
Some judges who should uphold justice bend to political influence, landmark cases are decided by the highest bidder, and the institution meant to check executive excesses under both parties have become tools for legitimizing tyranny.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension for requesting an investigation into her sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who denied the allegations, is a clear example of the justice system failing. Instead of appointing an independent panel to investigate, the Senate punished the accuser while seemingly protecting the accused, reinforcing a culture where those in power escape accountability while victims face retaliation.
In sum, the evidence is irrefutable: by every measurable standard, Nigeria has declined under APC-PDP leadership.
Our citizens have seen more pain than progress. More death than hope, and more fear than success. Dreams are shattered and our children’s futures stolen.
As a result of their policy failures, poverty has tightened its grip on Nigeria, condemning over two-thirds of our people to lives of unbearable hardship, where even the most basic necessities are out of reach.
Our nation’s children go to bed hungry, only to wake up to the same gnawing emptiness, unsure if they will eat that day. Millions who should be in classrooms instead roam the streets, their futures slipping away with each passing moment.
Yet we are a nation blessed, or perhaps cursed, with resources that should uplift but instead, under corrupt and visionless APC and PDP leadership, have become instruments of oppression and despair.
This is not mismanagement; this is an organized crime syndicate disguised as governance. For decades, APC and PDP have operated as two sides of the same corrupt coin, bleeding Nigeria dry while our people suffer in poverty, insecurity, and despair.
The nation has been abused and raped under their leadership. And the policy blunders and looting continues today under another APC administration. Different faces, same gang of plunderers. How much more will Nigerians endure before they rise and put an end to this robbery?
As long as APC and PDP remain dominant in our nation’s politics, this malignancy will continue to express itself, poisoning every administration, suffocating progress, and dragging the country deeper into the abyss of failed statehood. As the architects of Nigeria’s collapse—they cannot be its saviors.
After a thorough analysis of Nigeria’s deep-rooted challenges, a review of major party manifestos, and an assessment of their leadership quality, past performance, and future potential, one undeniable conclusion emerges: Nigeria will never progress under APC and PDP leadership. Never.
They are the arsonists who set Nigeria on fire while shouting, fire! fire!—masquerading as firefighters while fueling the destruction. Trusting them to rebuild is national suicide. It is time to break their stranglehold and forge a new path with leaders who serve the people, not themselves.
I sound this alarm now—to shake the nation from its slumber and to rally every true opposition and minority party. This is the moment to rise, to coalesce, to strategize, to organize, and to mobilize the resources needed to challenge and dismantle the two-headed beast that has devoured Nigeria for far too long.
Coalition Of Liberators
The future of our nation belongs to a new party and leadership, untainted by the genetic disorder of corruption, greed, and betrayal that defines APC and PDP. These parties have spent decades wasting our resources, looting our nation, crushing our people under poverty, and recycling the same failed leaders.
For this reason, I make a strategic and reasoned call to the leaders of NNPP, LP, APGA, PRP, ADC, SDP, YPP, and all other minority parties to set aside tribal and religious differences, zoning preferences, personal ambitions, and egos and unite under a single, unshakable Coalition of Liberators—one bound by a shared ideology, common values, and an unrelenting mission to deliver real change and benefits to our long-suffering people.
The greatest enemy of our people today is POVERTY—a brutal, dehumanizing, and intergenerational curse engineered and sustained by APC and PDP through decades of reckless policies, corruption, and economic sabotage. This is not just misgovernance; it is a deliberate system of oppression designed to keep Nigerians struggling while the ruling elite feast on the nation’s wealth.
Look around—intergenerational poverty is everywhere. It cripples every state, every LGA, every community, every religious group, and every tribe. It is the most pervasive and unifying struggle in our country, binding millions in hardship. This is the true battle call for the Coalition of Liberators, and the battle must be fought and won.
The new coalition must reshape its ideology and manifesto around the urgent mission of eradicating poverty and hunger while building a thriving, equitable economy and a secure society. This is the key to winning the hearts and votes of our people, as supported by extensive research and analysis.
With a unified leadership vision, a disciplined organization, and a ruthless commitment to inclusive prosperity that ends poverty and hunger, this new coalition can break the political stranglehold of APC and PDP. The only thing standing in the way is division and self-interest—and those must be cast aside for the greater mission.
When rigging is preemptively neutralized before the 2027 elections (yes, it can be done), and the people are inspired to vote, mobilized behind a credible leader, victory shifts from being merely possible to inevitable. It is my conviction that Nigeria will be liberated in 2027.
The Coalition of Liberators must be formed within the next few months—there is no time to waste. Though 2027 may seem distant, APC and PDP have already begun their familiar drumbeat of deception, preparing to entrench another cycle of corruption and failure.
For the Coalition of Liberators, success hinges on building a powerful grassroots movement, uniting the members, and ensuring every vote counts.
With an inspiring leader, voter apathy will fade, driving turnout beyond 50% in 2027. Compared to the dismal 26.7% voter turnout in 2023, this surge will make the power of the people undeniable, making real change not just possible, but unstoppable.
To achieve this, the Coalition of Liberators and its leaders must meet the following winning requirements:
- In 2027, put forward a pragmatic and inspiring presidential candidate—one with vision, integrity, intelligence, and the expertise to tackle the nation’s deep-rooted challenges head-on.
- Frame the Core Message on Poverty and Hunger: The Coalition must anchor its vision on the twin crises of poverty and hunger—issues that transcend tribe, religion, and region. These struggles are the single unifying identity in Nigeria today. Every manifesto, policy platform, and programs must be designed with the eradication of poverty and hunger as the central objective. This must be its battle cry.
- A people-focused vision that prioritizes economic revival, inclusive prosperity, real security reforms, and true national unity. This includes an entrepreneurial and innovation-driven economy that empowers businesses and creates sustainable jobs.
- An urgent commitment to infrastructure modernization, with a national priority on delivering affordable 24/7/365 electricity supply, essential for industrialization, digital transformation, and overall economic growth.
- A total transformation of the judiciary into a truly independent bulwark of justice and order, where the rule of law is sacrosanct, corruption is rooted out, and justice is accessible to all, not just the wealthy and politically connected.
- A governance model that grants economic and security autonomy to states and Local governments, ensuring that development reaches every region and community, breaking the cycle of ineffective control at the federal level.
- A security strategy based on real reform and tangible results, not the weaponization of the military for political intimidation, but a professional, intelligence-driven, and people-centered security architecture that protects lives and property.
- A relentless war on corruption, driven by institutional reforms that make it so costly and high-risk that it outweighs any perceived gains—dismantling the entrenched culture of impunity and enforcing the death penalty as a powerful deterrent.
- Return to Industrialized and Community Agriculture: To achieve food abundance at affordable prices, the new party must revive industrial-scale and community-driven agriculture. A bold and innovative land use reform will democratize land ownership for farming and ranching, ensuring equitable access. A production-based loan program must fund agricultural labs and research institutes and empower community farmers with the capital needed to expand and modernize their operations. Security guarantees must be provided.
- Education as the Foundation for National Renewal: our nation’s future must be built on the strength of our education system. We must overhaul our education sector to emphasize quality, accessibility, and relevance to our national development goals. From early childhood education to vocational training and higher learning, the new party platform must prioritize critical thinking, technical skills, and civic responsibility.
- A powerful and evidence-based indictment of the ruling party, using the data in the next section to expose its failures, corruption, and destructive policies. By highlighting the economic collapse, rising poverty, unchecked insecurity, and institutional decay under APC’s leadership, they must make it clear that continued rule by the party is a death sentence for Nigeria’s future.
The Battle For The Soul Of Nigeria Must Start Today
Let me be clear, the 2027 presidential contest is not just an election—it is a battle for Nigeria’s survival, a defining moment that will determine whether the nation remains shackled to poverty, corruption, and failed leadership or breaks free to reclaim its future.
APC and PDP are crippled, decaying, and fully exposed—and Nigerians have wised up. No one is trading their future for a bag of rice, a frozen chicken, or a few naira anymore.
The days of selling four more years of misery for crumbs are over. The people are ready to reclaim their destiny and consign these failed parties to the dustbin of history.
Therefore, this is not the hour for ego or division—it is the hour for courage, sacrifice, and an unyielding commitment to the Nigerian people. If APC and PDP thrive on fragmentation, then unity is the weapon that will defeat them.
Together, a coalition of determined and principled leaders can dismantle the old order, inspire a new generation, and deliver the leadership Nigeria desperately needs. It’s not going to be easy, but it must be done with urgency.
History will remember those who chose to fight for the nation over personal ambition. The question to minority party leaders is—will you rise to the occasion, or will Nigeria be left to perish under the weight of its oppressors? The time to act is now. Unite. Mobilize. Win.
