The National Coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, has diasagreed wirh the recent comments made by elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, regarding the purported zoning of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
Professor Gana, during a recent national television appearance, claimed that all PDP chairmen from the North had unanimously resolved to zone the party’s presidential ticket to the South.
In a measured but firm response, Hamzat, who leads the strategic support group mobilizing for former presidential candidate and PDP chieftain, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, described the assertion as both inaccurate and constitutionally untenable.
“No such decision was reached by any constitutionally recognized organ of the PDP,” Hamzat said. “Even if informal discussions occurred, they do not carry the force of party or constitutional authority, and could amount to a breach of the law if enforced.Besides we have on it on good Authority that no such consultation held between the northern chairmen and the Professor,” he said.
Hamzat said Gbenga Hashim solidarity movement cuts across PDP, APC, Labour party, active young and vibrant Nigerians who want to see a new Nigeria that works for all not special interest.
He urged the party leaders to prioritize unity, fairness, and legality as the PDP prepares for its national convention in Oyo state later this year.
According to him, the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Ambassador Umar Damagun has worked tirelessly to foster inclusion and cohesion within the party and should be encouraged to achieve positive results.
“The propagation of sectional narratives, no matter how well intentioned, could undermine the NWC’s efforts to unite the party and may reverse the gains recorded so far.
“Only national agenda, devoid of regional and religious sentiment could position PDP as the beneficiary of the new wave of national consciousness ahead of 2027”, Hamzat cautioned.
To ground his argument in law, Hamzat cited Section 42(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which explicitly prohibits discrimination based on place of origin, ethnicity, or political affiliation.
“A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin… shall not, by reason only that he is such a person… be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law… to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities… are not made subject,” he said.
Hamzat argued that any internal party arrangement, like zoning, which effectively bars qualified Nigerians from contesting for the presidency solely because of their region, would violate the spirit and letter of this constitutional provision.
“Zoning may serve as a gentleman’s agreement for balancing interests, but it must never become a legal or moral tool of exclusion. The Constitution remains supreme,” he stated.