The National Coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement, Abdulrazaq Hamzat has described as ‘inaccurate and constitutionally untenable’ a recent statement by a former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana that the 2027 presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been zone to the South.
During a recent television appearance, Gana said that all PDP chairmen from the North had unanimously resolved to zone the party’s presidential ticket to the South.
But, Hamzat, who leads the strategic support group mobilising for a former presidential candidate and PDP chieftain, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, countered: ‘No such decision was reached by any constitutionally recognized organ of the PDP’.
He further 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’.
Hamzat said that movement he leads cuts across PDP, All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party, active young and vibrant Nigerians who want to see a new Nigeria that works for all, not special interest.
He therefore urged the party leaders to prioritise unity, fairness, and legality as the PDP prepares for its national convention in Oyo State in November.
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, not distracted by unverifiable claims or divisive rhetoric.
He said: ‘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’.
He cited historical precedents to reinforce his position, noting that in the 1999 PDP primary, held in Jos, the Plateau State capital, prominent Northern politicians, including a former Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi contested freely alongside Southern contenders like Dr. Alex Ekwueme and eventual winner, General Olusegun Obasanjo. Hamzat also recalled that, in 2003, Rimi and a former PDP National Chairman, Chief Barnabas Gemade, again from the North, contested for the party’s presidential ticket.
He said that, in more recent memory, the 2022 APC presidential primary featured aspirants from both North and South, such as Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Governor Yahaya Bello from the North, and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from the South.
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.
He 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.
Hamzat appealed to party stakeholders, including Gana, to support the unifying and progressive efforts of the NWC as the PDP positions itself to reclaim national relevance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
‘The PDP’s strength lies in its diversity and ability to present credible options to Nigerians. Let the upcoming convention be a platform for vision, not division’, Hamzat further said.
Olawepo-Hashim has consistently maintained that competence, not geography, should be the decisive factor in Nigeria’s leadership choices.
‘What Nigeria needs in 2027 is not a Southern or Northern president, but a Nigerian president, one who emerges through vision, capacity, and patriotism, not regional manipulation’, he had earlier stated.
