By Mary Onyia
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is embarking on a major house-cleaning and reconciliation drive to position itself as the leading challenger in the 2027 general elections. As part of the push, the party is wooing back prominent members who defected during its turbulent years.
In a bold move, former PDP presidential candidate, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has reportedly called for the return of former Labour Party presidential flagbearer Peter Obi, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, among others.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Kaduna by his media aide, Hassan Mahmoud, Olawepo-Hashim promised that the PDP would this time guarantee free, fair, transparent, and competitive primaries. He argued that the comeback of such political heavyweights would strengthen the party’s position as the only viable alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Olawepo-Hashim stressed that the PDP was never intended to be an exclusive club, but rather a national platform—a “big umbrella” for all shades of opinion, ideology, and ambition.
“We had giants of Nigeria’s political class under one roof—men who could have been good presidents. Yet, some dropped their ambition, while others submitted to a fair contest in Jos in 1999, which Obasanjo eventually won. The PDP’s strength then came not from backdoor deals, but from genuine internal democracy,” he said.
He urged the party to return to those founding principles if it is to regain national relevance, warning against the gatekeeping politics that has weakened it in recent years.
Olawepo-Hashim insisted that any Nigerian with vision and capacity should be welcomed into the race.
“The more, the merrier. A competitive primary won’t divide us—it will prove we’re still the true party of democracy,” he said in a statement from Kaduna.
“If Jonathan, Atiku, Obi, and others wish to contest, let them. Let the best ideas and visions emerge through fair competition—that is how to build a party of the future,” he reportedly declared.
Recalling the PDP’s 1998 founding days, Olawepo-Hashim praised the unity and fierce internal competition that produced leaders like Olusegun Obasanjo without backroom deals. He warned that only a return to those principles could restore the party’s relevance.
Amid speculation that former President Goodluck Jonathan could contest the 2027 presidency on the platform of the PDP, a close associate has dismissed the claims, saying Jonathan is currently focused on other pressing engagements.