The South-West coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM), Alhaji Abass Olaniyi, has dismissed Reno Omokri’s recent appeal for the South West and the North to rally behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, saying that the region will not “reward monumental failure with another mandate”.
Omokri, in a statement, had urged the two regions to show solidarity with Tinubu, likening the plea to the North’s decision to back former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 despite his poor performance in office. He also claimed that Tinubu had expanded Nigeria’s GDP and launched infrastructure projects in the North.
But reacting in a statement, Olaniyi accused Omokri of political deception and manipulation, stressing that governance is about competence, not ethnic reciprocity or emotional blackmail. “Our people are too politically conscious to reward hunger, poverty, and economic collapse with fresh endorsement”, Olaniyi said.
He argued that the economic record of the APC-led government was catastrophic, noting that Nigeria’s GDP, which stood at over $570 billion in 2014, had shrunk to less than $300 billion, representing almost a 50% contraction. He said this went beyond a recession and was more than an economic depression, citing soaring inflation, unemployment, and poverty as evidence of Tinubu’s poor performance.
Olaniyi dismissed Tinubu’s claims of GDP growth as “a mirage created by currency devaluation that leaves Nigerians poorer than ever”, adding that “Nigerians don’t eat GDP statistics; they eat food, and under Tinubu food is unaffordable”.
Positioning Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the South West’s political alternative, Olaniyi described him as a credible leader with the vision, global exposure, and economic acumen to unite the North and South based on fairness and competence.
“The South West cannot tie its destiny to a sinking ship. Across Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti, the conversation is already tilting towards Gbenga Hashim. He represents the hope and new beginning that Nigeria desperately needs”, Olaniyi said, in contrast to Tinubu’s poor performance.
He also urged Northern leaders to resist divisive appeals and instead align with genuine progressive forces committed to rescuing Nigeria from years of misrule. “2027 is a defining year. Nigerians must rise above deception and sentiment to embrace competent leadership. The South West is ready to lead that change, and Gbenga Hashim is the rallying point”, he said.
