A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has expressed commitment to repairing the damaged bridges of national unity occasioned by the manipulation of Nigeria’s faultlines by desperate politicians through divisive strategies such as zoning and other extra constitutional measures to hold the nation to ransom.
Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate made this commitment at an interactive session with senior media executives in Lagos at the weekend.
He said though the electorate have always demonstrated that they careless about where a leader comes from, a “new tribe” of political opportunists continue to distract the nation from clear issues of economic development and security which are the urgent concern of most Nigerians whether northerners or southerners.
PDP last week zoned its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election to the southern region of the country, a development which Hashim had described as “a big error.”
He said, “we on our part shall continue to rally the Nation around issues that unite us rather than issues that divide us. Commitment to national unity was what defined the politics of the founding fathers of our nation. That was why Dr Herbert Macaulay, a Yoruba man could hand over NCNC to Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, a Nigerian of Igbo descent.
“That was why Chief Obafemi Awolowo could rally support for Ernest Ikoli an Ijaw man in Lagos during the Western regional election as against the aspiration of a fellow Ijebu man, Sam Akinsanya for the presidency of the Nigerian Youth Movement/Lagos Legislative Council.
“It was the same spirit of commitment to national unity that was demonstrated when the legendary Joseph Tarka, the political leader of the Tiv nation, rallied behind Kashim Ibrahim a Kanuri muslim man to win the Gboko constituency, a Christian Tiv dominated constituency during Northern regional election in first Republic.”
Hashim noted that recently, “the great people of Kano voted massively for Chief MKO Abiola against a bonafide and accomplished indigene of Kano, Alhaji Bashir Tofa in the June 12 1993 presidential elections.
“We draw our inspiration from the noble spirit of commitment to national unity passed down by our heroes past, we shall not allow the lit flame of unity in diversity to be extinguished by the activities of some political rascals polluting the polity with the filthy lucre that they have gathered from the public till.”
