PDP Primaries Set For Titanic Clash — Olawepo-Hashim Welcomes Jonathan, Atiku, Obi

A chieftain of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has thrown his weight behind the speculated return of former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to the PDP fold, according to IReporter Online.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Hassan Mahmoud, Olawepo-Hashim warmly welcomed the politicians ahead of the party’s primaries, stressing: “The more, the merrier.”

He maintained that rather than weakening the PDP, a competitive and transparent presidential primary would revive the party’s legacy as Nigeria’s foremost democratic platform.

“The PDP was never meant to be an exclusive club. From inception, it was designed to be a national platform, a big umbrella for all shades of opinion, ideology, and aspiration,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

He recalled the events of 1998, according to IReporter Online, when as secretary of the publicity subcommittee under the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, he witnessed the adoption of the iconic umbrella symbol — an idea proposed by a journalist that has since become one of Nigeria’s most recognisable political emblems.

He narrated how political titans such as Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Chief Solomon Lar, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Chief Melford Okilo, Prof. Jubril Aminu, and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu all stood under one roof, with some stepping aside for others in the spirit of fair play, leading to the 1999 Jos convention won by Olusegun Obasanjo.

Olawepo-Hashim emphasised that free and fair internal democracy — not backdoor deals — gave the PDP its early strength.

He hailed the inclusive leadership of Chief Solomon Lar, noting that those afraid of competition simply left, while those who stayed made the party stronger.

Calling for a revival of openness, tolerance, and democratic excellence in the PDP, he declared that Jonathan, Atiku, Obi, and others must be embraced if they choose to run. “Let the best ideas and visions emerge through fair competition.

That is how to build a party of the future,” he concluded, according to IReporter Online.

”IREPORTER REPORTS”