Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a presidential hopeful and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that nobody or group can pocket the main opposition party ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the party remains the only truly democratic political party in Nigeria, which can’t be controlled by any individual or group.
While speaking in an interview on the AIT programme on Tuesday, Olawepo-Hashim said the PDP’s long-standing tradition of competitive primaries and respect for its constitution distinguishes it from every other political organisation in the country.
He noted that even as a sitting president in 2003, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had to submit himself to a hotly contested primary election in his bid for re-election, facing strong challengers such as Barnabas Gemade, Abubakar Rimi, and Alex Ekwueme, aspirants drawn from both the North and the South.
Olawepo-Hashim stressed that this mirrored the 1999 PDP presidential primary, which was also vigorously contested by candidates across the country.
“PDP is the only democratic party in Nigeria that nobody or group can pocket. The party has always maintained an open space for competition, and that is why it has survived over two decades in a very difficult political environment,” Olawepo-Hashim said.
He stressed that the tradition of internal democracy has kept the PDP vibrant and made it a consistent platform for leaders committed to constitutionalism, the rule of law, and national unity.
Olawepo-Hashim contrasted this with the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the ruling party neither debates issues internally nor holds regular meetings, and therefore lacks the capacity for collective problem-solving.
“A party that discusses issues like PDP has a greater tendency to address Nigeria’s challenges than APC. Despite PDP’s own challenges, its achievements remain unmatched.
“APC has dragged the country backwards, and its rigid, top-down style is cast in iron, a sure recipe for stagnation,” he said.
He urged PDP members and Nigerians at large to defend and preserve the party’s democratic values, warning that replacing open competition with imposition would erode the PDP’s uniqueness and weaken Nigeria’s democratic progress.
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