Leaders of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) in the South West have declared their unwavering support for the presidential aspiration of frontline politician, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, vowing to resist what they described as the “unconstitutional zoning error” of the presidency by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The resolution was reached on Saturday at a strategic meeting of GHSM leaders, which compromise mostly PDP leaders from the South West, held in Lagos with delegates in attendance from Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, and Lagos States.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the South West Coordinator of GHSM, Abass Olaniyi from Osun State, said that Nigerians must rally behind leaders whose politics is built on competence, inclusiveness, and national development, rather than sectional considerations.
“We want to make it very clear that the South West will not sit idly by while regressive forces within the PDP try to truncate the aspiration of a visionary leader like Gbenga-Hashim through unconstitutional zoning.
“Nigerians are ready for a truly ideological presidency, not the politics of ethnicity and sectional manipulation,” Olaniyi declared.
He stressed that the South West was resolute in its decision to deliver the region’s votes to ensure Hashim emerges victorious in 2027, describing him as the most prepared among the potential candidates.
The Lagos State coordinator, Ola Azeez said that despite having a Lagosian as president of Nigeria, the masses of Nigeria are suffering like never before and we are ready to support a leader with a detribalised orientation who is competent.
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Other leaders at the meeting emphasized that Hashim represents a new paradigm of leadership, combining experience in both the private and public sectors with a strong record of advocacy for democracy, social justice, and economic reforms.
They argued that 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.
The GHSM leaders recalled Hashim’s long standing involvement in Nigeria’s democratic struggle, his consistent calls for issue-based politics, and his refusal to engage in the politics of patronage that has weakened many of his contemporaries.
Following deliberations, the South West bloc of GHSM resolved to intensify grassroots mobilisation, enlightenment campaigns, and alliance building across the country to strengthen Hashim’s candidacy well ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Nigeria cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. What the country needs now is not zoning, but competence. Hashim has the ideology, the character, and the vision to lead Nigeria into a new era of stability, prosperity, and unity,” Abass said.
The South West leaders further pledged to resist attempts within the PDP to enforce zoning, insisting that such arrangements lack constitutional backing and undermine the democratic rights of all citizens to aspire to the presidency and a violation of section 84 of the Electoral Act.
The meeting concluded with a unanimous declaration that the South West will serve as the vanguard of a nationwide movement to secure Gbenga Hashim’s victory in the 2027 general election.
