PDP Crisis: Lagos, Osun Leaders Reject Zoning, Back Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Wednesday as leaders and stakeholders from Lagos and Osun States rejected the party’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket, throwing their weight behind former presidential aspirant, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim.

At a rally in Lagos and a separate meeting in Osogbo, the groups insisted that zoning was divisive, unconstitutional and detrimental to the party’s chances in the 2027 elections.

They argued that competence and broad national acceptability should guide the PDP’s choice of candidate.

Hon. Ola Azeez, Lagos State Coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM), said zoning had failed to deliver victory for the PDP in past elections and warned that continuing on the same path would lead to another defeat.

“We must place competence and capability above sectional politics. Gbenga Hashim has the reach, the pedigree and the vision to reposition this party,” he said.

In Osun, the state coordinator of GHSM, Alhaji Abass Olaniyi, echoed the same position. He dismissed the zoning arrangement as unfair, describing Olawepo-Hashim as the only aspirant with the ability to unite the PDP and rebuild its national appeal. “What the PDP needs now is not zoning but a candidate who can connect with Nigerians across ethnic and religious divides,” he told reporters in Osogbo.

Olawepo-Hashim himself has been vocal in opposing zoning, describing it as discriminatory and warning that the party risked “self-defeat” if it excluded capable candidates on the basis of region.

He has urged the PDP National Convention, the party’s highest decision-making organ, to overturn the zoning decision of the National Executive Committee.

The rejection of zoning by Lagos and Osun leaders adds to growing resistance across the country.

Earlier this week, supporters of Olawepo-Hashim in Plateau State staged a protest at the PDP secretariat in Jos, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Zoning is Injustice” and “North-Central Must Be Heard”.

Analysts say the widening divisions highlight the challenges facing the opposition party ahead of the 2027 polls.

While some blocs argue that zoning guarantees fairness and inclusion, others maintain that only an open contest based on merit can restore the PDP’s national strength.

With more state chapters expected to declare their positions in the coming weeks, the battle over zoning and the choice of candidate is set to shape the PDP’s preparations for the next general election.