2027: Why Olawepo-Hashim Opposes Zoning of PDP Presidential Ticket

Former Deputy Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has shared his reservations on the party’s zoning decision ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In a recent interview with Arise TV, Olawepo-Hashim clarified that he opposes the zoning decision to the south because it is against the country’s constitution.

He noted that Nigeria’s constitution does not permit any party to zone an elected political office, such as the president.

“Well, 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.

“People may have their sentiments, but they don’t come to the platform of the parties, such as the National Executive Committee, to pronounce that they closed the door to a certain region.

“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. Now, the danger in this kind of thing is that you pitch one section of the country against another, which is a very terrible low. Nigerians are not interested in where the president comes from.

“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,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

Source: The Sun