•Says hardship, insecurity behind push for change
By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — The Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement, GHSM, has issued a direct challenge to President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the South West, declaring that the era of the All Progressives Congress, APC, may be nearing its end ahead of the 2027 elections.
At a rally in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, over the weekend, GHSM leaders from across the 31 Local Government Areas, alongside party executives, community representatives and youths, gathered to outline their opposition to the current government and to present former presidential aspirant Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as an alternative voice in national politics.
Olawepo-Hashim, who contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the People’s Trust before later joining the PDP, has consistently positioned himself as a reform-minded politician.
His supporters argue that his experience in both business and politics, coupled with his reputation for integrity, makes him a credible contender in 2027, particularly as the PDP has left its presidential ticket open.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Kamaldeen Adebayo, Olawepo-Hashim criticised the Federal Government.
“This government has bled the people enough. Gbenga Hashim’s mission is to restore dignity, justice and accountability to governance. Nigeria’s democracy cannot breathe under corruption and mediocrity. It is time to take back our country,” Adebayo said.
The National Coordinator of GHSM, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, also decried worsening living conditions.
“Hunger has become a national policy, insecurity a daily horror, and hopelessness a state religion. Gbenga Hashim is ready to lead the crusade out of this wilderness,” Hamzat stated.
The South West Coordinator, Alhaji Abass Olaniyi, faulted the Tinubu administration for prioritising the interests of a few over the welfare of the people. “This administration has reduced governance to the service of a few privileged interests, while the people wallow in poverty. From Osun, this movement will spread across the South West,” he said.
GHSM, which is also active in Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti and Ondo States, welcomed the PDP’s decision to keep its 2027 presidential ticket open, saying the move created an opportunity for Olawepo-Hashim to contest.
The Osun State Coordinator of GHSM, Hon Tajudeen Hassan, called on members to intensify mobilisation.
“Take the gospel of Gbenga Hashim to every street, every household, every corner of Osun. Nobody must be left behind. This is the people’s movement, and 2027 is our date with destiny,” he said.
Speakers at the rally said the Osun launch could mark the beginning of organised resistance to APC’s dominance in the South West, a region long regarded as Tinubu’s stronghold. They noted that rising inflation, unemployment and insecurity were fuelling discontent.
“Osun has fired the first shot. If the momentum continues, it could signal the beginning of a wider political storm in the South West,” they warned.
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