Nigeria needs competence, not zoning – PDP group tells party

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

A group within the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, has disclosed that Nigeria at this time needs a competent President rather than shutting out people on the guise of zoning the Presidency to the Southern part of the country.

The group, Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement, GSHM, further disclosed that zoning the Presidency would not resolve the crisis within the party but worsen it.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of the group in Osogbo on Tuesday, the acting State Coordinator, Mr Tajudeen Hassan, said the PDP need to engender factors that would unite it and brighten its chance in the 2027 presidential election.

His words, “It is no longer news that happenings in the political space in our dear country has vividly shown the disparity in ethnicity and region. This unnecessary gap has been worsened by certain decisions in our polity. One of those is the zoning principle which has now been given so much prominence, and forcefully adopted as a criteria in key political decision making.

“It was this same factor that informed the recent decision of the National Executive Council of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to zone its Presidential ticket to the Southern part of Nigeria, a decision we see as a grievous error and bad precedent that could be devastating for the unity of Nigeria. We want to state categorically that we oppose any decision capable of alienating a section of the country and further widening the ethnic division in the country.

“Leaders of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) in Osun state want to use this gathering to declare and restate our unwavering support for the presidential aspiration of frontline ideological politician, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim (GOH).We vow to resist any form of unconstitutional zoning of the presidency by the PDP. Zoning arrangements undermine the democratic rights of all citizens to aspire to elective positions and violates Section 84 of the Electoral Act.

“Nigeria’s current challenges, including insecurity, economic downturn, unemployment, and national disunity, demand a president who possesses both intellectual grounding and moral conviction to steer the country toward sustainable progress. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. What the country needs now is not zoning, but competence. Dr. Hashim has the character and vision to lead Nigeria into a new era of stability, prosperity and unity”.

Also speaking, the Southwest Coordinator of the group, Mr Olaniyi Abass, also stressed the need for the country to prioritize competence and capability over zoning.

“Restricting the party’s ticket to a zone is limiting the chances of the country to get a competent hand to lead the country to the right path. In Osun and the South West, we are working assiduously to ensure someone like Hashim emerges to brighten PDP chance and rescue Nigeria”, he added.

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