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Presidential hopeful and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has declared that the PDP remains the only truly democratic political party in Nigeria, one that no individual or group can pocket or control.
Speaking during a live interview on the AIT Democracy Today programme, he said the PDP’s long standing tradition of competitive primaries and respect for its constitution distinguishes it from every other political organisation in the country.
According to him, even as a sitting president in 2003, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had to submit himself to a hotly contested primary election in his bid for re-election, facing strong challengers like Barnabas Gemade, Abubakar Rimi and Alex Ekwueme, aspirants drawn from both the North and the South.
He noted that this mirrored the 1999 PDP presidential primary, which was also vigorously contested by candidates across the country.
“PDP is the only democratic party in Nigeria that nobody or group can pocket. The party has always maintained an open space for competition and that is why it has survived over two decades in a very difficult political environment,” he said.
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He added that this tradition of internal democracy had kept the PDP vibrant and made it a consistent platform for leaders committed to constitutionalism, the rule of law and national unity.
He contrasted this with the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the ruling party neither debates issues internally nor holds regular meetings, and therefore, lacks the capacity for collective problem solving.
“A party that discusses issues like the PDP has a greater tendency to address Nigeria’s challenges than the APC. Despite the PDP’s own challenges, its achievements remain unmatched. The APC has dragged the country backwards and its rigid, top-down style is cast in iron, a sure recipe for stagnation,” he said.
He urged the PDP members and Nigerians at large to defend and preserve the party’s democratic values, warning that replacing open competition with imposition would erode the party’s uniqueness and weaken Nigeria’s democratic progress.
