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Hashim Gains Ground in Kaduna as PDP Declares Readiness to Lead 2027 Coalition Against APC

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Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim is enjoying growing goodwill in Kaduna, the heartbeat of Northern politics, as the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edward Percy Masha, declared that only a coalition led by the PDP can successfully unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

Masha made the assertion on Wednesday while receiving members of the Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim Solidarity Movement (GOH-Front) in their thousands, at the party’s Secretariat in Kaduna.

The group stormed the political capital of Northern Nigeria to press for the reversal of PDP’s zoning of its presidential ticket to the South.

Addressing journalists after receiving the group’s petition, the PDP Chairman maintained that while alliances were welcome, only the PDP had the national spread and structure to mount a serious challenge to the APC.

“Coalitions are welcome, but no party has structure across the country more than PDP. Take it or leave it, PDP is the only party that can provide that kind of structure,” he said.

He noted that Nigerians had become disillusioned with the APC after years of economic hardship and worsening living conditions, adding that the ruling party’s popularity had collapsed nationwide.

“Any reasonable Nigerian knows the people are not happy with this system. We were told to be patient with Buhari for eight years. Now the same people are telling us to be patient again under Tinubu. No Nigerian wants to hear APC’s name anywhere,” he said.

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The PDP Chairman lamented that many families could no longer feed properly or afford school fees, stressing that voters would punish the APC at the polls.

“Today, how many Nigerians can feed themselves even twice daily? Look at prices in the market compared to two years ago. The economy is bad, the cost of living is high. Nigerians will not reward APC with another term,” he added.

Masha also predicted that the party’s forthcoming National Convention on November 15 and 16 would be a watershed moment, attracting returnees and re-energizing the PDP ahead of 2027.

“When credible leaders emerge after the convention, you will see a lot of permutations. Those who left PDP will return, and even some from the ruling party will come back. Once that happens, no one will be able to stop it,” he assured.

On the NEC’s decision to zone the presidential ticket to the South, Masha reiterated that zoning did not preclude any aspirant from contesting.

“That is the NEC decision and I cannot go against it. But it was also clearly stated that zoning does not preclude anybody who intends to contest. So the field is still open for anyone with the capacity and interest,” he clarified.

Earlier, the State Coordinator of GOH-Front, Hon. Aliyu Mohammed (Achili), who led the delegation, argued that restricting the ticket to the South could weaken PDP’s chances against the APC.

“The presidential ticket should be left open to each and every Nigerian who is a loyal member of this party and capable of contesting. That is the only way PDP will be stronger,” he said.

He explained that as an opposition party, the PDP must focus on exploiting the ruling APC’s weaknesses rather than limiting its options.

“We don’t have to think like the ruling party. We must look at their loopholes and take back our mandate. That is why we are appealing for a reversal,” Mohammed added.

He confirmed that the petition was received by the State Chairman, who promised to transmit it to the national leadership for consideration.

Meanwhile, observers note that Olawepo-Hashim’s message of inclusivity and national renewal is resonating widely in Kaduna, a State long considered the barometer of Northern politics, where his grassroots appeal is steadily gaining momentum among party stakeholders.

Recall that during the recent Maulud celebration at the Murtala Muhammad Square in Kaduna, hundreds of Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim’s supporters were visibly on ground, waving his posters and chanting solidarity songs. They affirmed their unalloyed support for the Kebbi-born politician, predicting that he would emerge as the next occupant of the Presidential Villa in 2027 once the PDP adopts him as its candidate.

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None of Nigeria’s Presidents have Brigadier Generals as ADC, as the promotion of Tinubu’s ADC was shelved.

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None of Nigeria’s Presidents have Brigadier Generals as ADC, as the promotion of Tinubu’s ADC was shelved.”

The controversial plan to decorate Nurudeen Yusuf, aide-de-camp (ADC) to President Bola Tinubu, as a one-star general on Monday evening was shelved at the last minute after an intervention by two former chiefs of army staff.

Yusuf, who was only decorated as a colonel last January, was to be promoted to the rank of brigadier-general through “special presidential promotion”.

Under normal process, an officer has to be a colonel for at least four years after which he or she will attend the National Defence College (NDC) before they are considered for promotion.

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The approval to bypass the process was conveyed in a letter from the office of the national security adviser (NSA) to the Chief of army staff.

No brigadier has ever been ADC to the president of Nigeria, leading to further disquiet within the military establishment.

Ahead of the planned decoration on Monday, the minister of defence, Chris Musa — who is a retired general — and the chief of army staff, Waidi Shaibu, a lieutenant general, had cut short their visit to Lagos state and returned to the federal capital.

However, two highly respected former army chiefs eventually succeeded in persuading Tinubu to shelve the plan because of the dangers to the military establishment, TheCable learnt.

A presidential source told that the promotion is not going to happen “anytime soon”.

 

 

The cable

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Breaking:Former Chief Justice Of Nigeria Ibrahim Tanko Is Dead

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Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad (retd.), is dead.

A close source confirmed to SaharaReporters on Tuesday morning that the former head of Nigerian judiciary passed away at a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

“Ex-CJN Tanko Muhammad is dead. He passed away this morning at a Saudi Arabian Hospital,” the source said.

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Nigeria Tracker reports that Late President Muhammadu Buhari appointed late Justice Ibrahim Tanko into the exalted seat after the sacking of his predecessor Justice Samuel Walter Onnoghen over the issue of code of conduct in January 2019.

In Late 2022 Justice Ibrahim Tanko suddenly exited the seat due to what many said intense pressure from cabals in Late President Muhammad Buhari’s presidency and was succeeded by retired Justice olukayode .

Late Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad hails from Bauchi state .

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The Aso Rock Gossip That Made Late President Buhari Lock His Wife Out

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

In a new biography, former First Lady Aisha Buhari has revealed that late President Muhammadu Buhari began locking his bedroom door, preventing her from gaining access, after hearing rumors within Aso Rock that she intended to kill him.

This personal account is featured in the 600-page book, ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, where Aisha Buhari details her experience managing her husband’s health challenges during his presidency.

She stated that the former president, trusting the gossip circulating within the presidential villa, altered some of his personal habits as a result.

The biography, which was authored by Charles Omole, director-general of the Institute for Police and Security Policy Research, was launched at the presidential villa in Abuja.

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Many high-profile persons and political chieftains, including President Bola Tinubu, attended the launch.

In the book, Aisha said Buhari’s 2017 health crisis was not a mysterious ailment or the effect of poisoning, but began after a broken feeding routine and mismanaged nutritional habits.

The former first lady said she had long managed her husband’s meals and supplements at specific hours, adding that the regimen helped Buhari to maintain stability.

“According to Aisha Buhari, her husband’s 2017 health crisis did not originate as a mysterious ailment or a covert plot. It started, she says, with the loss of a routine; ‘my nutrition,’ she describes it, a pattern of meals and supplements she had long overseen in Kaduna before they moved into Aso Villa,” the book reads.

When they moved to the villa, she said she convened a meeting with close staff including Suhayb Rafindadi, the physician; Bashir Abubakar, the chief security officer; the housekeeper, and the DSS DG to explain the plan.

After some time, the plan was discontinued.

“When the Presidency’s machinery took over our private lives, I explained the plan: daily, at specific hours, cups and bowls with tailored vitamin powders and oil, a touch of protein here, a change to cereals there. Elderly bodies require gentle, consistent support,” Aisha was quoted as saying in the book.

“Then came the gossip and the fearmongering. They said I wanted to kill him.

“My husband believed them for a week or so,” she said, adding that the president began locking his room, changed small habits, and crucially, “meals were delayed or missed; the supplements were stopped”.

“For a year, he did not have lunch. They mismanaged his meals,” she added.

Aisha denied stories of plots to poison her husband, adding that Buhari’s health began deteriorating because of “loss of a routine, ‘my nutrition,’ was the genesis of the crisis”.

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