A former chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has so underperformed in governance that even the much-criticised Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now appears to have handled Nigeria better during their time.
Speaking on Channels Television, Okonkwo said the failures of the current APC-led administration have reached such alarming levels that Nigerians now recall the previous PDP era with a sense of nostalgia. He dismissed criticisms that the opposition coalition is merely a gathering of recycled politicians, insisting that Nigerians want results, not labels.
“The worst of PDP now has become better than the best of APC,” Okonkwo said. “Assuming you talk about Atiku, if he can take us to just 100 days of economic sanity, are we not going to celebrate that?”
He accused the ruling party of failing on all key indicators—security, economy, debt management, and governance—stating that Nigerians are living under worsening conditions with no tangible improvement.
“APC has borrowed Nigeria into about N177 trillion in debt, and there is nothing to show for it,” he said. “We are enjoying darkness instead of light. The airports are not functional, and flights are being cancelled. People can no longer fly to their destinations and return without disruptions.”
The actor-turned-politician said the legacy of economic stability and debt clearance left behind by the PDP-led government has been destroyed under the APC’s watch. According to him, the PDP administration under former President Olusegun Obasanjo paid off Nigeria’s foreign debt and positioned the country as the largest economy in Africa, with improved global standing.
He referenced rising insecurity as another glaring failure of the APC government, citing recent tragedies that, in his view, have been met with indifference by the presidency.
“I’ve told you how 500 persons were roasted by terrorists in Borno State, and the President has not even visited the area,” he said. “In Niger State, flood swept away more than 500 people, yet not a word of condolence or physical presence from the President. How do you justify this level of disregard for human life?”
Okonkwo added that the APC’s failure has led to widespread disillusionment among Nigerians, making even formerly unpopular figures in the opposition look like viable saviours.
“APC has beautified PDP. It has come to a point where even the people that Nigerians rejected before are now being re-evaluated as better than those in office today. It tells you how bad things have become,” he said.
Reacting to claims by APC figures that the new opposition coalition, African Democratic Congress (ADC), lacks credibility because it includes former governors, ex-ministers, and defectors from other parties, Okonkwo argued that the focus should be on capability, not political history.
“When they say ‘same old people’, please, they should stop lying,” he said. “Leadership is about what you can deliver, not whether you were once a governor or a minister. We had peace and economic growth under Obasanjo, even with many of these same people.”
He insisted that past achievements under the PDP, including security and debt relief, speak louder than the “cluelessness” he said defines the current administration. He challenged APC leaders to point to one concrete sector where the Tinubu-led government has made visible improvement.
“If we were moving in the right direction under the PDP, and today, the economy is crumbling, people are poorer, the naira has collapsed, and we’re more indebted than ever before, how do you still justify the APC staying in power?” Okonkwo asked.
He maintained that the opposition coalition represents the only hope of returning the country to sanity, saying the current ruling elite has lost touch with reality and empathy.
“Nigerians are hungry. Insecurity is rampant. Even basic governance has failed. There is no shame anymore,” he said.
While some critics have dismissed the opposition alliance as a fragile union of self-interested politicians, Okonkwo believes it presents a much-needed alternative to what he described as a “government of excuses.”
He called on Nigerians to judge leaders by performance and not political branding. “Let those who can fix the country come forward. If that person once served under Obasanjo or any other administration, what matters is their capacity and track record—not cheap propaganda.”
