By Ayo Ayodele
As the political landscape begins to take shape ahead of the 2027 general elections, former presidential candidate and prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has expressed support for the rumored return of former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the PDP’s presidential race.
In a statement released through his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Hassan Mahmoud, Hashim welcomed the potential development, describing it as a positive sign for the party. “The more, the merrier,” he said, emphasizing that a competitive and transparent primary would not divide the PDP but rather revive its legacy as the bastion of democracy in Nigeria.
“The PDP was never designed to be an exclusive club,” Hashim stated. “From its inception, it was meant to be a truly national platform—a big umbrella accommodating diverse opinions, ideologies, and aspirations.”
Recalling the party’s founding in 1998, Hashim reflected on his time as Secretary of the Publicity Subcommittee, chaired by the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. He remembered how the now-iconic umbrella symbol was first proposed by a journalist in that committee—an emblem that has come to represent inclusivity in Nigerian politics.
“We had political giants under one roof,” he said. “Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Chief Solomon Lar, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Chief Melford Okilo, Prof. Jubril Aminu, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu—many of whom could have been excellent Presidents. Some withdrew their ambitions along the way, while others submitted to a transparent contest in Jos in 1999, which President Obasanjo ultimately won.”
Hashim underscored that it was the party’s commitment to internal democracy—not imposition or behind-the-scenes deals—that gave the PDP its early strength. He also praised the inclusive leadership of interim chairman Chief Solomon Daushep Lar, who kept the party’s doors open to all.
“Those who feared open competition quietly stepped aside. But those who stayed laid the foundation for what Nigeria became in the early 2000s,” he noted.
As the countdown to 2027 continues, Hashim’s message resonates not only within PDP ranks but across the broader political spectrum, calling for a return to the party’s founding principles of openness, tolerance, and democratic engagement.
“If Jonathan, Atiku, Obi, or others wish to contest, they should be welcomed,” he said. “Let the best ideas and visions emerge through open competition. That is how to build a forward-looking party.”
Hashim’s remarks hint at a potential broadening of the PDP’s internal landscape—perhaps setting the stage for one of the most high-stakes presidential primaries in Nigeria’s recent political history, where political heavyweights may once again meet under one umbrella.