A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Hashim, has expressed confidence that the party will emerge victorious in the 2027 general election, despite ongoing legal disputes within its ranks.
Hashim said the PDP would successfully unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that no legal or administrative manoeuvres could derail Nigeria’s multiparty democratic system.
The businessman-turned-politician, a long-time figure in Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement, alleged that the APC was deploying legal and institutional strategies aimed at weakening opposition parties ahead of the next election cycle. He described the situation as part of a broader pattern that poses serious threats to democratic competition in the country.
According to him, similar attempts to undermine political pluralism had occurred in the past but were ultimately defeated by the collective will of Nigerians.
“We have travelled this road before under Abacha’s dictatorship, and it ended in victory for the forces of genuine democracy, while the plotters of one-man rule were disgraced,” Hashim said.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to multiparty democracy, the PDP chieftain noted that the nation’s founding fathers deliberately chose political pluralism at independence and entrenched it in the Constitution.
“Our founding fathers opted for multiparty democracy and, by the grace of God, that legacy will be preserved. No group, no matter how clever or determined, will succeed in destroying Nigeria’s democratic system,” he added.
Hashim warned against any slide toward authoritarianism, drawing parallels with the political history of Zaire under the late Mobutu Sese Seko, where prolonged one-man rule weakened democratic institutions.
“One-man rule or one-party rule will not happen here. This is Nigeria. We will not allow anyone to reduce our democracy to a tragic parody, as was the case with Zaire under Mobutu Sese Seko,” he said.
He also raised concerns over what he described as selective administrative decisions in the political party registration process, alleging that while some qualified associations had stalled, others perceived to be aligned with the ruling party were granted interim recognition.
Describing the trend as a warning sign of democratic backsliding, Hashim called on Nigerians and the international community to remain vigilant in defending democratic norms.
He urged “lovers of democracy across the world” to consider lawful and targeted accountability measures against individuals allegedly undermining Nigeria’s multiparty system, noting that such measures could include travel bans and asset freezes, when backed by credible evidence and due process.
Hashim stressed that safeguarding democracy requires transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to constitutional principles by political actors and institutions.
Despite current challenges, he expressed confidence that Nigerians would rise to defend democracy and remove the APC from power peacefully and constitutionally through the ballot in 2027.
