The agitation against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s zoning arrangement gained fresh momentum during the week as stakeholders in Osun and Lagos States staged rallies, declaring the zoning formula “null and void” and adopting business leader and ideological politician, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, as their preferred candidate.
In Osogbo, the rally converged at the City Hall and was led by the South West Coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM), Alhaji Abass Olaniyi.
It featured prominent party stakeholders including a former PDP State Secretary, a former Woman Leader, and other grassroots mobilizers.
The participants argued that zoning has outlived its usefulness and should no longer dictate political choices in Nigeria.
“The era of division is over in Nigeria. What the country needs now is competence, capacity, and a unifier like Gbenga Hashim,” Alhaji Abass Olaniyi declared to loud applause.
In Lagos, another rally attracted PDP local government and senatorial officials, alongside former State Party Executives. The event was coordinated by the Lagos State GHSM Coordinator, Hon. Ola Azeez, and reinforced the rejection of zoning as a barrier to credible leadership.
Speaking at the Lagos rally, Hon. Azeez insisted that the so-called zoning error would not deter the movement.
“The era of division is over in Nigeria. This is a new era of competence and capability, and Gbenga Hashim stands tall as the symbol of that new vision,” he said.
Both rallies signaled a coordinated pushback within the PDP’s South West bloc against what participants described as “imposition tendencies” in the party’s national leadership.
In the past week, separate press statements from PDP stakeholders in Oyo and Ondo also rejected zoning, with analysts warning that the mounting resistance is already triggering a major internal realignment in the party ahead of the next general elections.
This resistance is not limited to the South West. Similar pushback has emerged from the northern part of the country, particularly in the North Central and North West.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the PDP chapter officially adopted Gbenga Hashim as leader and candidate of the party. In Plateau State, stakeholders marched to the PDP Secretariat to reject the headquarters’ decision on zoning. In the North West, especially in Kano State, PDP stakeholders have also voiced firm opposition to the zoning arrangement, insisting that the party cannot afford to sideline competence and broad-based acceptability.
With widening resistance across geopolitical zones, observers say the zoning controversy could reshape the PDP’s internal dynamics and may determine the party’s strength heading into the next general elections.
