A number of stakeholders from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun and Lagos states, operating under the banner of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM), have organized rallies to oppose the allocation of the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to the South, labeling the arrangement as “null and void.”
During these rallies, the stakeholders endorsed former presidential aspirant, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, as their candidate of choice, asserting that leadership selection should prioritize competence and capability over zoning.
In Osogbo, the rally took place at the City Hall and was spearheaded by the South-West Coordinator of the GHSM, Abass Olaniyi. The event attracted prominent figures from the PDP, including a former state secretary, a former woman leader, and grassroots mobilizers. Olaniyi emphasized that Nigeria has progressed beyond zoning, highlighting the necessity for a unifying leader.
“The time for division has passed. What the nation requires now is competence, capability, and a unifier like Gbenga Hashim,” he stated. A parallel rally in Lagos, organized by the GHSM state coordinator, Ola Azeez, drew local council and senatorial officials, along with former state executives. Azeez remarked that the group is dedicated to eliminating zoning as a “hindrance to credible leadership.”
Concurrently, these rallies represented a coordinated resistance within the PDP’s South-West faction against what participants referred to as “imposition tendencies” from the national leadership.
Similar sentiments have been voiced in Oyo and Ondo states. In response, however, PDP South-West Publicity Secretary, Sanya Atofarati, dismissed the rallies, claiming that no such groups exist within the region. He accused the ruling party of funding “faceless groups” to undermine the PDP.
“We are not concerned at all. To our knowledge, the South-West PDP youths, under the leadership of Seyi Bamidele, have expressed their confidence in the party’s leadership for allocating the presidential ticket to the South,” he asserted.
IN THE MEANTIME, Abba Moro, the Senate Minority Leader, has revealed that the PDP is contemplating selecting one of three southern candidates to serve as its presidential nominee for the 2027 election.
Moro stated that former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde have been identified as potential candidates. In an interview with the News source, Moro mentioned that there are additional qualified southerners under consideration.
