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Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) for what he called Nigeria’s lackluster diplomatic reaction to the latest warning from US President Donald Trump.

Olawepo-Hashim stated on Arise Television’s Prime Time program on Wednesday that the Nigerian government’s reaction, which he claimed showed a lack of successful diplomatic engagement, startled him more than Trump’s remarks.

He pointed out that Nigeria has been without a fully operational ambassador in Washington for a considerable amount of time and criticized the APC-led government for failing to maintain appropriate diplomatic relations.

“I am not shocked about the threat from President Donald Trump. What shocks me is the Nigerian government’s response. There have been hearings in the US Senate on these issues for years, yet Nigeria did not have a functioning ambassador in the United States. How then do you put your story across in a serious manner?” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim called such actions “funny” and “unprofessional,” accusing the government of favoring unofficial routes above formal diplomatic frameworks.

“They like back channels when there are institutional structures of communication in international relations. Your ambassador is your president in a foreign land, not the same as a chargé d’affaires. These structures, such as bi-national or bilateral commissions, have been paralyzed for years,” he added.

He noted that negligence had also led to a decline in diplomatic relations between Nigeria and its neighbors, especially the Niger Republic.

He claims that Nigeria’s long-standing standing as a stabilizing power in West Africa has been damaged by the paralysis of these official entities.

“The APC government, particularly under President Tinubu, has pursued a reckless and incoherent foreign policy. This is not the first time we are being pushed to the brink of a foreign war. The first was when Tinubu threatened to go to war with Niger Republic. That was the first foreign policy blunder,” he said.

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