A former member of the House of Representatives, Shina Abiola Peller, has called on the opposition political parties to unite and rescue Nigeria from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Addressing journalists after the 7th Annual Shina Peller Ramadan Lecture/Iftar at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Secretariat, in Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Sunday, Peller stated that there is hunger in the country.

Peller, who represented Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola Federal Constituency from 2019 to 2023, appealed to Nigerians and politicians to join forces and remove the APC in 2027.

The former lawmaker stressed the urgent need for a strong opposition to hold the present administration accountable for the state of the nation.

Peller highlighted the lack of freedom of speech in the country, citing cases where individuals who criticise the government face persecution.

He said, “We all know the present state of the nation; the country is in bad shape. There is hunger in the land. It is very evident that there is hunger in the land. It is not something that anybody needs to hide to say. I am well connected with people, even market people; we can hear the voices on the streets, religious people. I can tell you categorically that there is hunger in the land, people are not happy, and you will agree with me that a hungry person is an angry person.

“So, the country as it is now is going through these difficulties, and I don’t know the magic the government of the day will do. Things are getting worse day by day. You begin to have this fear, and to cap it all, there is no longer freedom of speech. As you are looking at it, there is a corps member who spoke her mind, and the next thing is that people are threatening her to take down the video.

“So, either people are getting scared of what the government could do to them, or those who can speak are busy embezzling money and don’t want to talk. But whether we like it or not, we believe so much in this country. I believe that God has given us a country that can stand as one of the best in the world. Our faith tells us that after hardship comes ease. In the Quran and even in the Bible, it says after darkness comes light.

“God is light. Whatever we are facing now is darkness, and we believe that light shall definitely overcome darkness. Honestly, where Nigeria is now, people should drop individual ambitions. Nigeria is at a stage where people must rescue the country. They should try as much as possible to drop personal ambitions and prioritize national interest.

“So, whether there is a merger or not, everybody should come together to form a formidable opposition.

“Democracy needs a functional opposition so that there can be constructive criticism of the government. Nigeria is not a one-party state.”