The Coordinator, Gbenga Hashim Vanguard North West, Hon. Aminu Bala Wudilawa, has called on the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to reject blackmail and pressures to hand over the party’s presidential ticket to any regional political warlord in the guise of power rotation.
Aminu said zoning had done enough damage to Nigeria’s national psyche, noting that democracy was about popular choice, not turn by turn.
In a firm message to the leadership of the party, contained in a statement on Wednesday, Mallam Bala Aminu insisted that only a candidate with genuine national appeal and orientation, capable of winning significant votes in both the North and South could deliver victory to the PDP in 2027.
“Any candidate that cannot win an open, competitive primary by building national consensus has no chance of winning the general election,” he said.
Aminu described Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the ideal candidate who embodied the values, competence, and character required to lead Nigeria at this critical juncture.
“Liberal and patriotic forces in the North are rallying around Gbenga Hashim not because of political sentiment, but because of his broad national appeal, integrity, and long standing commitment to democracy and unity,” he said.
“He is a candidate both the North and South can trust.”
Highlighting Gbenga Hashim’s track record, Aminu noted that in the past eight years, no aspirant across PDP or APC has demonstrated deeper insight into national security and economic reform than Dr. Hashim.
He also dismissed the often repeated claim that the PDP presidential ticket in 1999 was zoned to the South, clarifying that General Olusegun Obasanjo emerged not by zoning, but by his strong reputation for national unity following military rule.
“Opportunistic politicians often distort history, but the truth is that Obasanjo was chosen in 1999 because of his commitment to the unity of Nigeria. Today, we see that same spirit in Gbenga Hashim.”