Peter Obi and Atiku Are Not Like Us” — Olawepo-Hashim

Accord Party chieftain Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has described former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as members of what he termed the “extreme conservative political wing.”

According to reports, Olawepo-Hashim made the comment during an appearance on the Mic On Podcast, where he discussed ideological differences among opposition politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He reportedly contrasted the political positions of Obi and Atiku with those of African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore and Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Adewole Adebayo, whom he identified as belonging to the left-centre political orientation.

Speaking about Obi’s position on petrol pricing, Olawepo-Hashim said the former governor had not opposed high fuel prices but was concerned about how the proceeds from the policy were managed.

“Peter is very clear. He doesn’t have any problem with high petrol price. The only problem he has is how the proceeds are managed. He made himself very clear, so he does not belong. So don’t lump all of us together. We are not the same,” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim further argued that opposition politicians held different ideological positions, particularly regarding economic policies and welfare.

“There are opposition members who are from the extreme conservative political wing. Peter and Atiku belong to that,” he stated.

He added that Sowore, Adebayo and himself were more aligned with a left-centre ideology, which he described as being more focused on welfare and the interests of ordinary citizens.

“There are opposition candidates who share the left-centre ideology, more welfarists, more sympathetic, more compassionate to the common people. Sowore, Adebayo and I belong to that. So we shouldn’t be lumped together,” he said.

When asked whether he had entered into an alliance with Sowore and Adebayo, Olawepo-Hashim reportedly confirmed that an agreement had already been reached.

“We already did. We signed it in Port Harcourt, and it was in the public space,” he said.

His comments come amid ongoing political realignments among opposition figures and discussions about possible alliances ahead of the 2027 elections. The descriptions of the politicians’ ideological positions represent Olawepo-Hashim’s assessment.