Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has criticised the party’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
Olawepo-Hashim, while responding to questions in an interview on Arise News on Thursday insisted that Nigeria does not need zoning to produce a competent president.
According to him, zoning is one of the issues that divide Nigerians, adding a competent president can come from any region.
“Let’s deal with issues that will unite us, not the ones that will further divide us. We don’t need this zoning to produce a competent president. A competent president can come from any section of the country,” he said
The PDP chieftain noted that competence, not regional rotation, should determine who emerges as the party’s flagbearer in 2027. He recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo did not rely on zoning in 1999 to secure the PDP ticket.
“At the national convention, if people think you’re competent enough, they will vote for you. President Olusegun Obasanjo did not emerge in 1999 because of any zoning. He contested fairly on a competitive stage and he won the ticket. It was only under President Goodluck Jonathan that the PDP decided to give him an exclusive ticket and he lost the election,” Olawepo-Hashim said.
According to him, shutting out potential candidates from other regions will weaken the PDP’s chances against the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2027.
He maintained that the campaign for zoning in the PDP was indirectly paving the way for Tinubu’s second term.
