Former Presidential Aspirant Gbenga Olawepo Hashim Dumps PDP
Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Gbenga Olawepo Hashim, has officially resigned from the party, citing persistent internal divisions and failed reconciliation efforts.
In a letter dated April 4, 2026, addressed to the PDP Chairman of Usuma Ward in Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Hashim stated that his resignation takes immediate effect.
The businessman and human rights activist lamented that the party has been engulfed in “persistent and unending crises” for over a year, resulting in a split into two dominant factions. He added that efforts to reconcile the factions proved futile.
“I cannot, in good conscience, be complicit in actions that undermine democratic values,” Hashim said.
He also raised concerns over the party’s inability to field credible candidates and its potential role as a passive supporter of the current administration.
“Today, Nigeria faces severe challenges; widespread insecurity across multiple regions, the tragic and continuous loss of innocent lives, and an economy in distress, with rising poverty among millions. It would be inconsistent with my convictions to remain part of any arrangement that appears to legitimize or sustain these conditions,” he stated.
Highlighting the security crisis, Hashim said, “Nigeria today is experiencing terrorist wars in four of our six regions. Massacres of innocent people have become a daily occurrence. Over eighteen thousand people have been killed in terrorist violence in the three years of the current administration.”
He also criticised the state of the economy: “The economy has crumbled, and crippling poverty has soared. Only wickedness, greed and lack of integrity would keep any leader in a system that appears to endorse such outcomes or participate in any charade to coronate a pre-determined candidate.”
Hashim expressed disappointment at the internal state of the PDP: “It is indeed disheartening that a great party, founded by some of Nigeria’s most committed democrats and patriots, has been brought to its knees by internal divisions and individuals whose primary distinction is that they benefited the most from the public offices entrusted to them by the PDP.”
Concluding, he said, “At this juncture, I believe it is necessary for me to step aside and pursue a new path. I am compelled by the urgent political realities of our time to collaborate with other patriotic leaders and citizens who are committed to preventing the emergence of a one-party state and to building a new political order that guarantees security, justice, and economic prosperity for all Nigerians.
The time has come to move forward.”
