A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has said that the Southwest would not reward President Bola Tinubu’s failure in governance by voting for his re-election in 2027.
In a statement in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Friday, the South West Coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM), Alhaji Abass Olaniyi dismissed recent call by a former presidential spokesperson, Mr. Reno Omokri’s for the Southwest and the North to rally behind President Tinubu in 2027.
He also said that President Tinubu had expanded Nigeria’s GDP and launched infrastructure projects in the North.
But Olaniyi insisted that the region will not ‘reward monumental failure with another mandate’, and accused Omokri of political deception and manipulation, stressing that governance is about competence, not ethnic reciprocity or emotional blackmail.
‘Our people are too politically conscious to reward hunger, poverty, and economic collapse with fresh endorsement’, Olaniyi declared.
He argued that the economic record of the All Progressives Congress-led administration was catastrophic, noting that Nigeria’s GDP, which stood at over $570 billion in 2014, had shrunk to less than $300 billion, representing almost a 50 percent contraction.
He said that that went beyond a recession and was more than economic depression, citing soaring inflation, unemployment, and poverty as evidence.
Olaniyi dismissed President Tinubu’s claims of GDP growth as ‘a mirage created by currency devaluation that leaves Nigerians poorer than ever’, adding that ‘Nigerians don’t eat GDP statistics; they eat food, and under Tinubu food is unaffordable’.
Positioning Olawepo-Hashim as the Southwest’s political alternative, Olaniyi described him as a credible leader with the vision, global exposure, and economic acumen to unite the North and South on the basis of fairness and competence.
‘The Southwest cannot tie its destiny to a sinking ship. Across Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti, the conversation is already tilting towards Gbenga Hashim. He represents the hope and new beginning that Nigeria desperately needs’, Olaniyi said.
He further urged Northern leaders to resist divisive appeals and instead align with genuine progressive forces committed to rescuing Nigeria from years of misrule, adding: ‘2027 is a defining year. Nigerians must rise above deception and sentiment to embrace competent leadership. The South West is ready to lead that change, and Gbenga Hashim is the rallying point’.
