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The return of former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former Labour Party flag bearer Peter Obi to the PDP’s presidential primary has been endorsed by Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate and PDP chieftain.

Olawepo-Hashim said in a statement released Thursday in Kaduna via his media assistant Hassan Mahmoud that the three candidates’ possible interest in the PDP’s 2027 ticket is a positive step that might rekindle the party’s core principles of democratic competition and inclusivity.

According to him, “the more, the merrier.”

According to him, a fierce and interesting primary will not split the PDP but rather assist it in reestablishing itself as Nigeria’s genuine democratic party.

Recalling the PDP’s 1998 founding concept, Olawepo-Hashim pointed out that it was never meant to be a closed political club but rather a nationwide platform designed to accept all types of beliefs, ideologies, and ambitions.

He described how a journalist initially suggested the umbrella sign that eventually became the party’s logo while serving as secretary of the publicity subcommittee led by the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo.

The late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Chief Melford Okilo, Professor Jubril Aminu, and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu were among the political figures he honored for helping to mold the PDP’s early course.

“We had giants of Nigerian politics under one roof. Many of them had what it took to lead Nigeria, yet some stepped down and others went through a credible, competitive process, such as the Jos convention of 1999 that eventually produced Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the party’s candidate,” Hashim recalled.

He maintained that the PDP’s early strength stemmed from a strong commitment to internal democracy and free competition rather than from gatekeeping politics or backdoor consensus. He commended Chief Solomon Daushep Lar, the party’s first acting national chairman, for his leadership in allowing a diverse range of political actors to participate in the PDP’s early years.

“Those who feared competition quietly exited the founding process. But we stayed the course, and Nigeria benefited from it,” he added.

According to Hashim, a failed candidate in the 2019 presidential election, the PDP must return to the principles of justice, openness, and solidarity upon which it was established if it is to regain its prominence on a national scale.

He asserted that rather than being interpreted with skepticism and mistrust, the aspirational ambitions of Jonathan, Atiku, Obi, and other contenders should be welcomed as a positive sign of a revitalized political landscape.

“If Jonathan, Atiku, Obi, and others wish to contest, they should be welcomed. Let the best ideas and visions emerge through fair competition. That is how to build a party of the future,” he stated.

His remarks coincide with the escalating internal PDP discussion over succession, zoning, and potential alliances ahead of the general elections in 2027.

Though none of the three individuals—Jonathan, Atiku, and Obi—have formally expressed interest in the 2027 elections or acknowledged a return to the PDP, there is still conjecture about potential political realignments among the opposition.

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