The recent visits by Dr. Gbenga Olawepo Hashim to two of Nigeria’s most influential elder statesmen—former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (GCFR), and former President Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR), have sent unmistakable shockwaves across the Nigerian politics and political landscapes.
The closed-door meetings, last week, are part of Dr. Hashim’s ongoing nationwide engagements with elder statesmen and key national figures to discuss the future direction of Nigeria.
Sources familiar with the consultations said Dr. Hashim assured both former leaders of his capacity to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges, rebuild national unity, stabilise the polity, and restore economic prosperity.
Both Obasanjo and Babangida, though non-partisan, are widely regarded as influential elder statesmen who remain deeply invested in Nigeria’s unity and stability, having played defining roles in the country’s political and military history.
During the Minna meeting, Dr. Hashim reportedly appealed to Babangida’s historic role in preserving Nigeria’s unity, referencing the sacrifices made during the civil war.
“General, you still carry in your body the wounds of the war fought to keep Nigeria one. Many of your colleagues were not fortunate to survive that struggle. If Nigeria is allowed to disintegrate today through incompetent leadership, then the sacrifices of patriots like you would have been wasted,” Hashim was quoted as saying.
Analysts agree that these “engagements are not casual courtesies; they are calculated, visionary, and deeply strategic moves that signal preparedness, depth, and statesmanship ahead of the 2027 general elections.’
They added that these “visits have left many presidential aspirants visibly jittery. Those who understand power dynamics know exactly what this moment represents.
Accordion to them, “Dr. Hashim is not new to the Nigerian political terrain. As a master strategist with decades of experience in activism, policy advocacy, political organization, and national engagement, he understands that leadership is not built in isolation, nor is national consensus forged in haste.
“By engaging General Babangida and President Obasanjo, two leaders who have shaped Nigeria’s political evolution in different eras, Hashim is demonstrating a rare appreciation for institutional memory, political wisdom, and the necessity of bridging generations.”
They also maintained that”these visits reflect something many contenders lack: foresight.
“While others are still busy with media noise, premature declarations, and superficial alliances, Dr. Olawepo-Hashim is quietly but deliberately laying the foundation for a broad national consensus. He is thinking ten steps ahead, consulting, listening, learning, and aligning Nigeria’s past experiences with the urgent demands of its future.”
General Babangida, they argued, “represents strategic statecraft, geopolitical balancing, and institutional intelligence, while President Obasanjo embodies democratic transition, international diplomacy, and reform-driven leadership.
” Engaging both men signals Hashim’s understanding that Nigeria’s challenges, economic instability, insecurity, youth unemployment, national cohesion, and global relevance, require depth, not drama.”
They equally maintained that “for the youth, this move is reassuring. It shows that their future is being planned with wisdom, not recklessness. For the political class, it is unsettling—because it confirms that Gbenga Olawepo Hashim is not running a reactionary campaign, but a well-thought-out national project.”
According to Mrs Shakinat Mohammed, the FCT Coordinator of the Hashims, “the road to 2027 will not be won by noise-makers or opportunists. It will be won by those who understand Nigeria in its totality, its past, its present, and its potential.
She added that Gbenga Olawepo Hashim’s visits have made one thing clear: the race has truly begun, and a serious contender has stepped decisively onto the field.
Dr. Hashim emphasised that the 2027 election must be centred on national rescue, warning that continued leadership failure could further endanger the country’s cohesion and stability.
He was accompanied on the visits by the Chairman of the North Central Renaissance Movement, Professor Nghargbu K’tsɔ, as well as other aides.
