Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has faulted the party’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, describing it as a “big error” that could weaken the opposition and boost President Bola Tinubu’s re-election chances.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday after the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the former presidential candidate said the move amounted to an indirect campaign for Tinubu.
“Zoning the presidency to the South is a default campaign for the return of President Bola Tinubu.
“Those pushing this agenda are the same people saying, ‘We are in PDP but we work for President Tinubu,'”he stated.
Olawepo-Hashim argued that the PDP had never barred any region from contesting the presidency, citing past primaries where candidates from both North and South freely contested against one another.
“The PDP has never zoned the presidency before.
“In 1999, Obasanjo contested against northern candidates like Alhaji Rimi and Alex Ekwueme.
“In 2003, he still contested against candidates from the North.
“The party never shut the door against any zone,” he said.
He further warned that the decision could trigger a constitutional crisis, stressing that Nigeria’s Constitution forbids discrimination in elective contests based on region of origin.
