A former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has called on politicians to rise above partisan, ethnic and religious divides and unite against bad leadership in the country.

In a message to mark his 78th birthday on Monday, Wabara insisted that the survival of the country depends on the choices citizens make in the 2027 general elections and identified poor leadership as Nigeria’s greatest albatross.

He said the country’s enormous human and natural resources have been squandered by successive administrations, particularly under the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The former Senate President, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urged opposition political parties to set aside their differences and forge a common front to rescue Nigeria from what he termed “economic mismanagement, democratic decline and worsening insecurity.”

He argued that the nation’s fortunes have steadily deteriorated since the APC assumed power in 2015, stating, “Nigeria’s greatest problem is not a lack of resources or talented citizens. Our greatest problem is bad leadership. A nation blessed with abundant wealth and extraordinary human capital should not be battling the level of poverty, hunger, unemployment and insecurity we see today.”

The Abia elder statesman also lamented the soaring cost of living, declining purchasing power, rising unemployment and the growing sense of hopelessness among ordinary Nigerians.

“Millions of Nigerians can no longer afford the basic necessities of life. Businesses are shutting down, investors are losing confidence, families are struggling to survive, while insecurity continues to spread across various parts of the country. This is not the Nigeria our founding fathers envisioned,” he said.

The elder statesman accused the ruling APC of failing to fulfil its promises to Nigerians and warned that allowing the party to continue in power beyond 2027 could further endanger the nation’s future.

“The APC promised change, but what Nigerians have witnessed over the years is a painful decline in living standards, deepening divisions, mounting debt burdens and worsening insecurity. The evidence is visible across the country. Nigerians must honestly assess the state of the nation and decide whether this is the direction they want to continue.

“No democracy can thrive without a vibrant opposition. Efforts to intimidate, weaken or silence opposing voices are dangerous to democratic development. Democracy flourishes through healthy competition of ideas, accountability and respect for dissenting opinions.

“This is not the time for political ego, unnecessary rivalries or personal ambitions. The opposition must unite in the national interest. We must build a broad coalition of patriotic Nigerians committed to rescuing our country from those who see power as an end in itself rather than a vehicle for service.” (The PUNCH)