Former presidential candidate, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has accused certain elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of sponsoring renewed allegations against him through his estranged wife, describing the move as part of a calculated smear campaign to undermine his political prospects ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a detailed statement issued on Thursday, Olawepo-Hashim alleged that his ex-wife’s recent media claims were orchestrated by political actors linked to the same network that, according to him, attempted to derail his 2019 presidential campaign.
“She had been recruited by elements around Buhari in the UK High Commission and the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA),” he claimed.
“They even tried to frame me up for funding terrorism. I was questioned in the UK and released when no evidence was found. She was the one who supplied the information to the UK authorities.”
The politician further alleged that during the same period, the group influenced the seizure of two of his company’s oil assets — the Hely Creek and Abigborodo marginal oil fields — which were later restored to his firm, Transnational Energy Limited (TEL), by a Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2020. The court, presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, declared the government’s revocation of the fields illegal and awarded $20 million in damages.
Olawepo-Hashim also linked his estranged wife’s divorce proceedings in the UK to the alleged political plot, claiming that she obtained an undefended judgment awarding her £18 million (₦36 billion), which was later annulled by a Nigerian court since the marriage was conducted under Nigerian law.
He accused APC operatives of funding and promoting her, saying, “They sponsored her with millions of dollars, nominating her for several foreign grants for women entrepreneurs and start-ups. My lawyers have written to her repeatedly about the children’s welfare, but she refused because what she wants is £18 million — not the children’s upkeep.”
The former presidential candidate also alleged that his ex-wife had denied his family access to their children, branding her “a professional blackmailer and social climber” who, he said, profits from damaging others.
“Now that the 2027 campaign has begun, the same APC handlers have picked her up again, pushing her story in the media,” he claimed, dismissing the development as politically motivated.
Olawepo-Hashim further rejected reports that a court had ordered one of his companies to pay ₦300 million, describing it as “an invention of an APC night court,” insisting that neither he nor his legal representatives had been served any such process.
“This is a desperate act that only shows how much our message is unsettling them,” he said. “Picking up stories from bitter women against opposition figures will not save the APC from defeat in 2027.”
He concluded by saying, “Tales like this did not stop President Trump in America, and by the grace of God, they won’t stop us here either.”