Support groups across the country backing the presidential ambition of Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim in 2027 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have intensified their agitations, declaring that resurrecting zoning in the current political context is “simply regressive.”
The groups unanimously called on PDP leaders and other critical stakeholders to jettison zoning, describing it as unpopular among members and detrimental to party unity. They maintained that the PDP can only remain strong and formidable enough to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if it prioritises inclusivity, fairness and merit over sectional arrangements.
This comes on the heels of Dr. Olawepo-Hashim’s latest declaration rejecting PDP’s zoning policy and reaffirming his presidential ambition ahead of 2027.
“Zoning is unlawful; I’ll contest for the presidency,” he stated.
In a statement from his office, Hashim dismissed the recent decision of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) as “illegal, unpopular and driven by selfish interests.”
“That purported NEC decision was organised by a few people for selfish reasons. It is illegal and unpopular, as you can see from the deluge of protests from party members across the country,” he said.
According to him, the Electoral Act 2022 does not empower political parties to impose conditions such as zoning on aspirants beyond what is expressly provided in the Nigerian Constitution. He noted that even the ruling APC avoided being trapped by zoning controversies, urging the PDP to correct what he described as “a grave error.”
The PDP zoning decision has continued to attract protests and criticisms from both Northern and Southern members of the party.
In Jos on Wednesday, thousands of supporters of Dr. Hashim stormed the PDP Secretariat demanding an open contest without exclusion. The North Central Renaissance Movement, led by Professor Nghargbu K’tso, condemned the NEC decision as unjust to the North and, in particular, the North Central zone, which has never produced either a President or Vice President since Nigeria’s return to democracy.
One of the protesters argued that zoning is no longer defensible, pointing out that by 2027 the South would have produced presidents for 18 years while the North only 10.
“If before there was marginalisation of the South, no one can say so again by 2027. The South would have produced presidents for 18 years and the North for just 10. So who is marginalising who?” he asked.
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In Kano, the coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Vanguard, Hon. Aminu Bala Wudilawa, told Freedom Radio that political trends in the North favour competence and capacity over sectional arrangements. He alleged that only a few politicians eyeing the vice presidential slot were pushing for zoning to the South.
Hashim has consistently maintained that only a president chosen on the basis of competence and patriotism can fix Nigeria’s challenges. He stressed that historical precedent in the PDP supports an open presidential contest.
“Even in 1999, when there was strong sentiment for accommodating the South-West due to the annulment of June 12, candidates from the North such as Alhaji Abubakar Rimi were not barred from contesting. The same happened in 2002, when President Olusegun Obasanjo, then a sitting president, faced aspirants from the North like Chief Barnabas Gemade and Alhaji Abubakar Rimi,” he recalled.
Hashim also cited Nigeria’s voting history as evidence that zoning is unnecessary.
“On June 12, 1993, the great people of Kano set ethnicity aside and voted for Chief M.K.O. Abiola against Alhaji Bashir Tofa, their kinsman. More recently, in the 2023 elections, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu won in Northern Nigeria against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a Northern candidate, yet lost his home state Lagos to a candidate from another zone. This shows Nigerians are capable of making political decisions without bowing to ethnic or sectional instincts,” he said.
Similar reactions have continued to pour in from sister groups, individuals and organisations within and outside Nigeria, warning the PDP of looming consequences that, they alleged, may jeopardise its chances of reclaiming power in 2027.
