2027: Olawepo-Hashim fights back, says smear campaign won’t stop him
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By Luminous Jannamike
Former presidential candidate Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has stated that the renewed allegations against him are politically motivated, describing them as part of an attempt to discredit his image ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement by his media office on Thursday, Olawepo-Hashim claimed that the fresh allegations, allegedly circulated through his estranged wife, were being promoted by political interests who, he said, were uncomfortable with his political stance and growing popularity.
According to him, similar efforts were made in the past to damage his reputation during his 2019 presidential campaign, and he added that he was confident such tactics would fail again.
“She had been influenced by certain political interests abroad who sought to associate me with wrongdoing. I was questioned in the UK and released when no evidence was found,” Olawepo-Hashim said.
The former presidential candidate also recalled a period when two oil assets linked to his company were seized, leading to what he described as a prolonged legal process.
He said that in November 2020, the Federal High Court in Abuja restored the Hely Creek and Abigborodo marginal oil fields to his firm, Transnational Energy Limited (TEL), after ruling that the earlier revocation was invalid. The court, he noted, also awarded damages in his favour.
He further stated that a legal dispute between him and his estranged wife in the United Kingdom formed part of broader personal and political challenges he had faced in recent years.
Olawepo-Hashim explained that the UK court had issued a default divorce judgment, which was later set aside by a Nigerian court on jurisdictional grounds, given that the marriage was conducted under Nigerian law.
He said his legal representatives had repeatedly reached out to his estranged wife regarding their children’s welfare, but communication had been difficult.
The former presidential candidate maintained that the revival of past personal issues in the media was a deliberate political move.
“Now that the 2027 campaign season is approaching, it seems some people want to recycle old stories to distract me,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim also dismissed reports of a new court order directing one of his companies to pay ₦300 million, describing such claims as false and insisting that no such process was ever served on his lawyers.
“This is an act of desperation by those who fear our message of reform and inclusion. Such fabrications will not stop our commitment to the Nigerian people.
“Tales like this did not stop President Trump in America; they won’t stop us here either, by the grace of God,” he added.
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