By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — Former members and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states have declared support for the Accord party and its presidential hopeful, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The declarations were made at separate mobilisation meetings across the three states, where participants cited economic hardship, insecurity and dissatisfaction with governance as reasons for backing a different political platform.
The development comes as political groups begin positioning ahead of the next election cycle.
Among those who spoke at the meetings was Ambassador Aisha Ibrahim, Women Leader of the Hashim Progressive Movement, who said supporters of the Accord Party were preparing to mobilise for the 2027 election.
“We promised to deliver Tinubu in 2023 and we did. We are now promising to deliver Gbenga Hashim in 2027, and by the grace of God, we will deliver,” Ibrahim said.
Several of the speakers said they had previously worked for the APC but had become disillusioned with the country’s economic and security situation, prompting their decision to support Hashim’s presidential bid.
In Kano, former APC stakeholder, Mallam Goje Bashir, said he had decided to leave the APC and back Olawepo-Hashim.
“I was an APC member, but President Tinubu has failed Nigeria. I am now openly declaring support for Dr. Gbenga Hashim of the Accord Party,” Bashir said.
Bashir said he believed Hashim could attract support across Kano and other parts of northern Nigeria.
Also speaking, former APC chieftain, Hajia Rabi Fagge, predicted that more voters in the region would align with the Accord Party, ahead of the 2027 election.
In Jigawa, the state’s coordinator, Abdulrasheed Ali, said mobilisation efforts had been carried out across the state’s 27 local government areas, describing Hashim as a leader who reflected the values his supporters wanted to promote.
In Katsina, the Coordinator, Muhammad Abdullahi, linked the group’s support for Hashim to the economic difficulties facing many Nigerians.
Representatives of Olawepo-Hashim, led by Abdulrazaq Hamzat, and accompanied by the FCT Coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement, Mallam Abubakar Kana, said the declarations reflected support from people drawn from different political backgrounds.
They said the movement would continue its mobilisation efforts across the country ahead of the 2027 elections and remained open to supporters from across the political spectrum.
According to the representatives, Hashim’s agenda focuses on economic recovery, security, job creation and social welfare.
