A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Hashim, has warned against what he described as de...
A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Hashim, has warned against what he described as deliberate attempts to divide Nigeria along regional and ethnic lines ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Hashim accused aides of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and elements within the All Progressives Congress (APC) of promoting a North–South narrative as a political distraction aimed at shielding the current administration from accountability.
He spoke while reacting to comments attributed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, suggesting that politicians should consider a legal framework for rotational presidency. According to Hashim, such proposals represent a desperate effort to deflect attention from governance failures.
Describing the approach as “pedestrian, reckless and fundamentally undermining Nigeria’s national security interests,” Hashim said Nigerians were no longer interested in symbolic power-sharing arrangements but in tangible outcomes.
“Dividing Nigeria along regional lines to escape accountability for governance failure is shameful and dangerous. It is a direct betrayal of the oath to defend the unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
The PDP chieftain dismissed renewed arguments around rotational presidency, insisting that leadership performance, rather than geographical origin, should dominate national discourse ahead of 2027.
He noted that since the return to democratic rule in 1999, both regions of the country had enjoyed ample opportunities to lead, with the South producing presidents for about 17 years and the North governing for roughly 10 years.
“Leadership failure cannot be blamed on geography. Both regions have governed Nigeria. What matters now is performance, not origin,” Hashim said.
He further warned that reviving ethnic and regional sentiments at a time of worsening economic hardship, rising insecurity and deepening social divisions only highlighted the ruling party’s lack of credible solutions.
“Using ethnicity and region to mask incompetence is not only lazy politics; it is a direct insult to Nigerians who are struggling to survive,” he added.
Calling on Nigerians to reject divisive politics, Hashim said the APC would be unable to rely on regional sentiment in the next election cycle.
“Come 2027, Nigerians will vote for leadership, not tribal loyalty. The era of emotional blackmail is over,” he said.
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