Nobody can pocket PDP — Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim

Presidential hopeful and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has said no individual or group can pocket or control the party, as it remains the only truly democratic party in the country.

Featuring on a live interview programme on African Independent Television (AIT) called Democracy Today, Olawepo-Hashim said the PDP’s long-standing tradition of competitive primaries and respect for its constitution distinguishes it from every other political organisation.

He recalled that even as a sitting president in 2003, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had to submit himself to a hotly contested primary election in his bid for re-election against strong challengers such as Barnabas Gemade, the late Abubakar Rimi, and Alex Ekwueme, aspirants from both the North and the South.

He noted that this was also the case in the 1999 PDP presidential primary, which was vigorously contested by candidates from across the country.

“PDP is the only democratic party in Nigeria that nobody or group can pocket. The party has always maintained an open space for competition, and that is why it has survived over two decades in a very difficult political environment,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

He added that the tradition of internal democracy has kept the PDP vibrant and made it a consistent platform for leaders committed to constitutionalism, the rule of law, and national unity.

Olawepo-Hashim contrasted this with the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the ruling party “neither debates issues internally nor holds regular meetings, and therefore lacks the capacity for collective problem-solving.

“A party that discusses issues like the PDP has a greater tendency to address Nigeria’s challenges than the APC. Despite the PDP’s own challenges, its achievements remain unmatched. The APC has dragged the country backwards, and its rigid, top-down style is cast in iron, a sure recipe for stagnation,” he said.

He urged PDP members and Nigerians at large to defend and preserve the party’s democratic values, warning that replacing open competition with imposition would erode the PDP’s uniqueness and weaken the nation’s democratic progress.

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