By; H M IBRAHIM The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to throw open its 2027 presidential contest has exposed the hollowness of the zoni
By; H M IBRAHIM
The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to throw open its 2027 presidential contest has exposed the hollowness of the zoning principle that has long been manipulated by political elites for selfish ends.
For years, zoning has been brandished as a tool for equity, yet in practice it has often functioned as a convenient weapon to exclude credible aspirants and stifle competition. Few leaders challenged this charade as boldly and consistently as Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim.
From the beginning, Olawepo-Hashim stood apart in declaring that zoning the 2027 presidency to the South was a negation of the PDP’s founding vision. He argued that the party was conceived as a broad-based national platform, not a narrow bargaining ground for sectional interests.
He repeatedly warned that using zoning to determine the presidential ticket was a betrayal of meritocracy and a calculated attempt to undermine internal democracy.
His arguments were not just philosophical but practical. Olawepo-Hashim maintained that zoning shuts the door on qualified leaders from other regions, discourages serious debate about Nigeria’s real challenges, and reduces presidential contests to a game of rotation among power brokers. Instead of producing leaders with ideas, vision, and credibility, zoning often elevates candidates merely on the basis of geography. For him, this was not only unjust but dangerous for a country in desperate need of problem-solvers.
Supporters of Olawepo-Hashim have been equally vocal, denouncing zoning as a lazy excuse used by entrenched interests to cling to influence. In their view, zoning thrives on division, pitching one region against another, while Nigeria’s poor remain united in suffering. It is therefore no surprise that the recent clarification by PDP National Legal Adviser ,that zoning will not preclude aspirants from other regions—was greeted as a vindication of Olawepo-Hashim’s long-held position.Earlier,Umar Damagun, the National Chairman of the party,slso said on international radio that zoning the presidency to the South, was not a sacred decision, as others could also vie for the most exalted political office at the PDP primaries.
The impact of this shift is already visible. Since Olawepo-Hashim’s triumphant return to the PDP, the party has gained a new lease of life across virtually all regions. The mammoth crowd that welcomed him at the last NEC meeting at Wadata Plaza was not simply about nostalgia—it was a thunderous rejection of the old manipulative order and an embrace of a more competitive, merit-driven future.
The irony is that Olawepo-Hashim himself was a builder of the PDP, serving as one of its founding fathers in the 1990s and later as Deputy National Publicity Secretary. He helped nurture the party at its most formative stage, even leading committees whose members later rose to become governors and key national figures. That such a figure was almost to be excluded from the 2027 contest on the altar of zoning demonstrates just how cynical the practice has become.
Critics argue that Olawepo-Hashim’s exit from the APC may not shake the ruling party immediately. But politics is about momentum, and the hurricane of goodwill and support that trails him across the FCT and regions like the North-West—where the APC once harvested votes by the millions—suggests a looming shift. If zoning had stood in his way, the PDP might have thrown away the one figure capable of unlocking disillusioned constituencies.
What makes Olawepo-Hashim a unique threat to the politics of exclusion is his identity as a bridge-builder. In his 50s, with roots in both North and South and family ties that stretch across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, he embodies a kind of inclusivity that zoning can never deliver. While zoning divides, he unites. While zoning limits options, he expands them. This is precisely why many Nigerians see him as a last resort for 2027—a tested, trusted figure who can transcend the tired formulas of old politics.
By reducing leadership selection to a turn-by-turn arrangement, zoning has impoverished the quality of Nigeria’s politics. It has given cover to mediocrity, muzzled competition, and turned elections into regional bargains. Olawepo-Hashim’s defiance of this practice has reopened the debate and forced the PDP to return to first principles: that leadership must be earned, not assigned.
As the 2027 race gathers steam, one lesson is clear: the age of hiding behind zoning is over. The PDP has chosen the harder but nobler path of allowing all aspirants to test their strength on merit. In doing so, it has inadvertently elevated Olawepo-Hashim, the man who called its bluff and won. Whether he secures the ticket or not, his vindication marks a turning point. Zoning has crumbled. Merit has prevailed. And Nigerian politics may just be better for it.
Hassan Mahmood Ibrahim, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
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