2027 Election: Southwest Voters Won’t Tolerate Tinubu’s Failures – Gbenga-Olawepo-Hashim

Prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has issued a strong warning that the Southwest region will not support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 if his administration continues on its current path of economic mismanagement and governance failure.

The message was conveyed in a statement released by Alhaji Abass Olaniyi, Southwest Coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM), in Ilorin. Olaniyi stated in response to recent calls by Reno Omokri, urging the Southwest and the North to rally behind President Tinubu in the upcoming election, comparing such solidarity to the North’s support for former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 despite widespread dissatisfaction with his performance.

Omokri had claimed that Tinubu’s administration had significantly grown Nigeria’s GDP and initiated major infrastructure projects in the North. However, Olaniyi dismissed these assertions as misleading and politically motivated.

“The Southwest will not reward monumental failure with another mandate,” Olaniyi declared. “Governance must be judged by competence, not by ethnic loyalty, emotional appeals, or political theatrics.”

He emphasized that citizens in the region are politically astute and will not trade worsening hardship for empty endorsements. “Our people are too conscious to reward hunger, poverty, and economic collapse with a fresh vote of confidence,” he said.

Olaniyi painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s economic trajectory under the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, noting that the country’s GDP, once valued at over $570 billion in 2014, has now slumped to below $300 billion, marking a near 50% decline. He described this not as a mere recession, but as a deep structural crisis exacerbated by soaring inflation, mass unemployment, and escalating poverty.

He further challenged the narrative of economic recovery, calling reported GDP growth “a mirage created by naira devaluation” that has eroded purchasing power and deepened suffering. “Nigerians don’t eat GDP statistics, they eat food. And under Tinubu, even basic staples have become unaffordable,” he stressed.

Positioning Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the Southwest’s credible alternative for national leadership, Olaniyi highlighted his integrity, international experience, and sound economic understanding. He described Olawepo-Hashim as a unifying figure capable of bridging regional divides through fairness, transparency, and results-driven governance.

“The Southwest cannot anchor its future to a sinking ship,” Olaniyi asserted. “From Lagos to Ekiti, Oyo to Osun, public sentiment is shifting decisively toward Gbenga Hashim. He embodies the hope and renewal Nigeria urgently needs.”

He also appealed to Northern leaders to reject divisive rhetoric and instead partner with genuine progressive forces committed to reversing years of systemic decline.

“2027 is a defining moment for our nation,” Olaniyi concluded. “Nigerians must rise above deception and sentimentality and choose capable leadership. The Southwest is ready to lead this transformation—and Gbenga Hashim is the rallying point for that change.”