Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential hopeful, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has rejected the party’s decision to allocate its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, insisting that the final say lies with the national convention rather than the National Executive Committee (NEC).
Addressing reporters in Abuja, Olawepo-Hashim vowed to challenge the move, stressing that party history shows NEC resolutions are not binding once tested at the convention. He recalled a 2000 episode in which the convention reversed NEC’s attempt to extend the tenure of the National Working Committee.
According to him, the zoning formula is both “undemocratic and unconstitutional,” as it restricts the field of capable candidates. He argued that PDP must allow an open contest if it intends to remain credible.
“Closing the door to aspirants makes no sense. In 1999, Obasanjo contested against Ekwueme and Rimi. Even Tinubu in APC went head-to-head with more than a dozen aspirants before winning. That is democracy in practice,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim maintained that competence, not geography, should drive the search for a candidate. He added that Nigeria’s pressing economic and security troubles require bold leadership.
“The presidency is for Nigeria as a whole, not for one region. The country is in crisis, and whoever can fix it should be allowed to emerge,” he stressed.
The aspirant also underscored that the North Central has never produced a president or vice president, describing attempts to exclude the region as unjust.
Backing From FCT Leaders
In a separate development, PDP leaders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) rallied behind Olawepo-Hashim, publicly discarding the zoning directive and endorsing his ambition.
At a stakeholders’ forum attended by area council chairmen, candidates, and party executives, he was unanimously adopted as the political leader of the FCT. The motion of endorsement, moved by Hon. Ismail Dogara and seconded by Hon. John Gabaya of Bwari Area Council, was carried amid chants of solidarity: “Where you go, we go.”
Party leaders at the gathering praised Olawepo-Hashim’s loyalty to the zone. North Central Vice Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed Takushara, said his candidacy would energise the PDP, while Hon. Soko Dobo noted his deep understanding of the FCT’s political neglect.
Olawepo-Hashim urged his supporters to step up mobilisation at the grassroots level, linking the effort to both the 2026 council elections and the presidential race the following year.
