Former Deputy Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has declared his intention to contest the presidency on the platform of the PDP in 2027.

Naijaonpoint reports that the activist-turned-politician spoke in a recent interview with journalists about the PDP’s decision to zone the Presidential ticket to the South, the agitation for the North Central zone to produce the president, and the crisis rocking the party. Excerpts:

When asked on Arise Television about his opposition to zoning despite being in the minority, Olawepo-Hashim argued that the practice contradicts Nigeria’s constitution.

“My opposition to zoning the presidency is not because I want it to come to the North-Central. I am doing so because it is against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not permit any party to zone an elected political office, such as the president, on account of region. It is discriminatory. That is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And this has never been done by any political party in Nigeria’s history,” he stated.

He explained that while there have been unwritten agreements in the past, no party had formally precluded regions from contesting.

“In 1999, after the June 12 annulment, there was a preponderance of opinion that there was a need to accommodate the expectation of South-Westners, so there was an unwritten consensus that the president should come from the South-West. But nobody from any other zone was precluded from contesting. Dr Alex Ekweme contested from the South-East. Alahi Abubakar Rimi contested from North-West. The leaders, in a mature manner, spoke through their delegates,” Olawepo-Hashim stated.

Tinubu Lost In Lagos, That Tells You Nigerians Want Competence, Not Regional Representation

Olawepo-Hashim emphasised that Nigerian voters are more concerned with leadership quality than geographic origin.

He said: “This is a terrible low. Nigerians want a competent president, a president who can fix the economy, a president who can fix national security, from any zone. In the last election, the majority of votes that came for President Tinubu came from northern Nigeria; he lost in the South, where he came from. He lost in Lagos. He struggled. That is to tell you that the Nigerian electorate is really not interested in what some political elites are trying to force on the agenda.”

Drawing from his experience as a former NEC member, Olawepo-Hashim cited his track record of opposing unjust decisions within the party.

“You were on the Guardian Editorial Board when I was Deputy National Publicity Secretary. And some members of the NEC, Barnabas Gemade and others decided to extend our tenure from two years to four years. We were elected for two years. I opposed it, even though I would have been a beneficiary of that extension,” he recalled.

“And we went ahead to fight at the National Convention. And the National Convention reversed the decision of the National Executive Committee. The National Convention said, ‘Look, what you did was wrong. If you want four years, first, you finish your two-year tenure, and then we amend the constitution and elect you for four years. But you cannot benefit retroactively.’ So, it is not because I am running. I did that in 2000, 25 years ago.”

No Formal PDP Decision on Zoning

Naijaonpoint reports that when pressed about whether the PDP had officially barred other regions from contesting, Olawepo-Hashim clarified: “There is nothing like such. You can’t preclude anybody because it’s a constitutional matter.”

On potential court action if the party formally zones the presidency, he referenced constitutional provisions while expressing reluctance to litigate.

“When it comes to the issue of fundamental human rights, it is not an internal matter of political parties. The right to contest the office of the President of Nigeria is open to all qualified Nigerians, and you cannot discriminate. Ordinarily, the court will have jurisdiction over that matter. I have been in this business for a long time, you know that. Under the military, I was detained under Decree 2,” the politician said.

However, he added: “But then, I’m not sure that I will go to court, to be honest with you. I don’t want to do that kind of thing now. I won’t be doing what I did like almost 40 years ago now.”

2027 Zoning Benefits Tinubu’s Re-election Campaign

Making his most explosive claim, Olawepo-Hashim accused some PDP members of working for President Tinubu’s benefit.

“The point here is that some of the people who are saying zone the presidency to the south; some of them are the same people who are campaigning for President Tinubu’s re-election. So this campaign of zoning the presidency to the South in the PDP is a default campaign for Tinubu’s re-election,” Olawepo-Hashim asserted.

When challenged about the similarity between zoning and federal character provisions, he drew a clear distinction.

He said: “Federal character is affirmative action to promote justice and equity. If you have one office, federal character will not preclude anyone from contesting. But if you have a cabinet, you have commissioned, federal character will say pick one per state. Federal character will not say to rotate the president. When you say other people are precluded, you are shutting the door against the rights of some people.”

North-Central’s Perpetual Marginalisation

Olawepo-Hashim highlighted the unique disadvantage faced by the North-Central zone in Nigeria’s political calculations.

“Take the argument of the people from the North-Central. You call North-Central. Now, when things are zoned to the South, people think about Igbo, Yoruba. When it comes to the North, they think about Hausa or Fulani. Now, when you go the way of this zoning you are talking about, the North-Central people are afraid that, and that is what has happened, they will never produce a president, they will never produce a vice president,” he said.

Jonathan’s Defeat as a Cautionary Tale

Drawing lessons from recent history, he warned against exclusive arrangements.

“President Olusegun Obasanjo did not emerge in 1999 because of any zoning. He contested fairly on the competitive stage, and he won the ticket. It was only under President Jonathan that the PDP decided to give him an exclusive ticket, and he lost the election,” he noted, recalling that, predicting Jonathan’s defeat, “I remember one of President Jonathan’s handlers; I was shuttling within London and Nigeria at that time. In 2014, even before the election, I said, Your boss is going to lose. He said, no, we are in the Villa, we will do everything to win. I laughed. I said, you cannot win. You don’t have any pathway to victory. What happened? Some politicians from Northern Nigeria, including some five governors, walked out of the PDP, and the rest is history.”

Not Advocating Turn-by-Turn Presidency

Clarifying his position, Olawepo-Hashim emphasised he wasn’t pushing for North-Central’s “turn.”

“I am not for turn-by-turn. I am only presenting arguments from various regions. I am not a turn-by-turn person. I have always been clear. I want a competent president, irrespective of where he or she is from. You are imposing the conversation on Nigerians. Nigerians are not interested in this conversation. They want a president who is competent, who will fix the economy, and who will fix national security. Not a president from North-Central or North-West,” he noted.

Olawepo-Hashim, however, expressed confidence that the PDP could correct its stance through democratic processes.

“I said there will be many other National Executive Committee meetings before the primaries, and the National Executive Committee can reverse its steps at any point in time. Even the National Convention in Ibadan that is coming can cancel this. I gave you an example of what happened 25 years ago, when I was in the PDP NEC. The NEC made a wrong decision. The National Convention reversed the NEC. The NEC is not the highest organ of the PDP. It is the National Convention that is the highest organ of the party,” the party chieftain stated.

Addressing questions about his party switching, Olawepo-Hashim defended his political journey as principle-driven.

“Everybody in Nigerian politics has moved, and for good reason. I have never moved to go and benefit from anything. I have moved on principle because the parties in Nigeria are not ideological. They are not ideologically differentiated. They are just political platforms, whether it is APC or PDP or whatever,” he explained.

He detailed his earlier departure from the PDP: “When I left the PDP, that was 2006, I didn’t leave voluntarily. If I were expelled from the party we fought, we came back and all that. Some people lost their lives. In fact, my colleague was assassinated. We did not just leave because we were looking for a greener pasture.”

Presidential Ambitions in Divine Hands

On his presidential aspirations, Olawepo-Hashim remained philosophical about timing and success.

“Well, that is in the hands of God. I mean, that’s a question that no human being can ask or answer. God will determine when Hashim will be president. President Buhari contested many times before he became president. President Ichilema of Zambia ran four times before he became president. That’s not a question that is of any significance. Abraham Lincoln ran to the Senate, to the Governor. He never became. And then he became the best American president. That’s in the hands of God,” he said.

No Factional Alignments

When asked about his position among various PDP tendencies, he distanced himself from existing camps.

“Nyesom Wike was not speaking 25 years ago when we were speaking at the Party National Executive Committee. So, I cannot be a boy to Wike. I am a senior politician. I can’t be in his group. I can’t be his boy. For Waziri Adamawa, even when he was Vice President, we had our differences. I was never in his political camp. I belong to no camp,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

He concluded by reaffirming his core values: “I want justice. I want equity. I want the development of Nigeria. I want a return to an ideologically driven polity. A polity where the issues for consideration will be issues of economics, national security, not where you come from. The dramas that are not hidden are the ones who want President Tinubu to be re-elected. They are campaigning for him, and they are also members of the PDP.”