The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing fresh internal cracks as stakeholders in Osun and Lagos States have rejected the party’s zoning arrangement, instead throwing their weight behind Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as their preferred candidate for the 2027 general elections.

At a rally in Osogbo, members of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM), led by South West Coordinator, Alhaji Abass Olaniyi, said Nigeria’s future should not be tied to sectional politics.

“The era of division is over in Nigeria. What the country needs now is competence, capacity, and a unifier,” Olaniyi declared.

In Lagos, a coalition of local government and senatorial leaders led by Hon. Ola Azeez also rejected zoning, stressing that the country must prioritize capability over political formulas.

“This is a new era. The nation must rise above sectional divides and embrace competence and capability, embodied in the vision Hashim represents,” Azeez said.

The coordinated moves in Lagos and Osun mirror growing resistance to the PDP’s zoning template across the country. Just last week, stakeholders in Oyo and Ondo States issued warnings against zoning, arguing it could deepen rifts instead of uniting the opposition.

The agitation is spreading beyond the South-West. The PDP chapter in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has already endorsed Olawepo-Hashim, while party members in Plateau and Kano have staged protests rejecting the zoning formula.

With momentum building behind Olawepo-Hashim, analysts say the PDP leadership faces a tough balancing act as the 2027 elections draw closer.