A presidential hopeful, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has declared that Nigeria’s future depends on the emergence of a competent, patriotic and visionary president, who can tackle insecurity, create jobs and improve the living conditions of all citizens.
He said the next president should not emerge on the basis of regional calculations or ethnic alliances.
The renowned politician said this against the backdrop of what he called a seemingly coordinated campaign by some politicians for a president of southern extraction in the 2027 election.
Olawepo-Hashim condemned what he described as the “continuous manipulation of religion and ethnicity by corrupt political opportunists” who have failed to deliver real development to Nigerians.
According to a statement he signed, “Nigeria does not need a Southern or Northern President. What our country urgently needs is a good President, one with the capacity to secure the nation, revive the economy, and restore hope among our people.”
He noted that recent political trends and past elections have shown that Nigerians are capable of making decisions based on competence rather than tribal or religious sentiment, citing examples from Lagos, Kano, and Gboko constituencies.
“In the 1993 election, Kano people rejected their own son, Bashir Tofa, in favor of Chief M.K.O Abiola from Ogun State. In more recent times, voters in Lagos rejected the incumbent President for a candidate from another region. In Gboko, a largely Tiv and Christian constituency, a Kanuri Muslim, Kashim, was elected. Into the Northern regional assembly in the first Republic.
These are testaments to our national maturity,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim accused politicians who promote regional presidency of pursuing selfish interests rather than national unity.
“Those advocating for Southern or Northern presidency are not doing so for the people, but for their own stomachs. Nigerians are not interested in such games anymore. They want leaders who can work, not leaders who merely belong to their region or faith,” he declared.
Calling on all political parties to adopt credibility, competence and character as the sole criteria for fielding candidates in the 2027 elections, he emphasized that the survival of the country is now at stake.
“The time for political shenanigans is over. Our future cannot be mortgaged to merchants of ethnicity and religious manipulation. Nigerians deserve a decent country managed by decent people,” he added.
The former presidential candidate reaffirmed his commitment to building a united, secure, and prosperous Nigeria, and urged citizens across all regions and faiths to join hands in rejecting divisive politics.
