Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, has warned that Nigeria’s democracy is at risk if the party’s continuing conflict is not resolved soon.
Olawepo-Hashim issued the warning in a statement made accessible to our correspondent on Sunday in Kwara State, following the contentious PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, by a segment of the party despite numerous contradicting court orders.
Chronicle NG reported that the faction proceeded with the convention despite a subsisting judgment expressly restraining it, deepening internal divisions and widening the rift within the main opposition party.
Speaking on the PDP’s formation 27 years ago, Olawepo-Hashim said the party’s founding represented a rare moment of political consensus.
He remembered that the PDP was formed by the merger of more than 13 political organizations built on “dialogue, broad consultation, and a deep spirit of inclusion.”
Olawepo-Hashim said, ”The founding fathers of the PDP deliberately built a platform capable of preventing further military intervention in governance, safeguarding national unity, and strengthening federalism.
“This inclusive foundation gave the PDP an early advantage, enabling it to win nearly two-thirds of elective positions in the December 1998 local government elections, a milestone that helped stabilize Nigeria’s returning democratic order in 1999.”
He voiced concern that the party had strayed from its essential beliefs, claiming that the continued “fragmentation, court-induced confusion, and exclusionary politics” undermine the principles that once constituted it as a strong national organization.
“Inclusion, not exclusion, is the tradition of the PDP.
“We must strive to bring all sides back to the table to save the PDP and save Nigeria’s democracy,” he said, urging leaders to prioritize unity and meaningful reconciliation.
Olawepo-Hashim underlined that the current moment should be one of dialogue rather than expulsion. “We must not leave anyone behind,” he said.
The PDP, formerly regarded as Africa’s greatest political party, has suffered significant internal splits since losing the president in 2015, with leadership squabbles, factional conventions, and contradicting court verdicts further eroding national cohesiveness.
