Zoning of pdp ticket is endorsement of President Tinubu ahead of 2027 Party chieftain
Zoning of pdp ticket is endorsement of President Tinubu ahead of 2027 Party chieftain
The decision by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South has been criticized by party chieftain Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, who described the move as a “subtle endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today after the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Monday, Olawepo-Hashim said the resolution was “unprecedented” in the party’s history.
He argued that the decision was a form of “default campaign for the return of President Bola Tinubu because those who are mounting this campaign of zoning to the South are the same people who are saying we are in PDP, but we work for President Tinubu.”
According to Olawepo-Hashim, the move undermines the PDP’s ability to field a competitive candidate by effectively shutting out potential contenders from other regions.
“It’s a default campaign for the PDP not to have a viable candidate by those people. So this is a subtle campaign for an easy ride of Bola Tinubu’s re-election,” he stated.
Olawepo-Hashim insisted that the PDP has never previously barred any region from contesting the presidency. He cited the 1999 and 2003 elections, where candidates from various regions, including Alhaji Rimi from the North, contested against then-President Olusegun Obasanjo. “The party never shut the door against any zone,” he maintained.
While acknowledging that the NEC decision was reached democratically, he described it as a “big error.”
He warned that the zoning policy could trigger a constitutional crisis, as it may violate the Nigerian Constitution which does not allow for discrimination against a party member based on their origin.
“The constitution of Nigeria does not allow you to discriminate against a party member when it comes to an elective position on account of where he comes from,” he cautioned, adding that an aggrieved member could challenge the party’s candidate in court.
Despite his criticism, Olawepo-Hashim expressed confidence in the PDP’s “self-correcting mechanism” and said he believes the party could still reverse the decision.
