By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
A group on the platform of Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) has said Prof. Jerry Gana is entitled to his opinion on the former president Goodluck Jonathan but the group will not allow an automatic ticket for him in the forthcoming 2027 presidential election in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The GHSM, in a statement by its national coordinator, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, declared that the PDP presidential candidate for the 2027 polls, can only emerge through a transparent process in line with the Electoral Act 2022.
Hamzat, who was reacting to a statement by Professor Jerry Gana that Jonathan will contest the 2027 poll as presidential candidate of the PDP, said it is only delegates that will determine the standard bearer in the next election.
“With due respect, Professor Jerry Gana is entitled to his enthusiasm about the return of former President Jonathan. However, only PDP delegates to the national convention can pick the party’s flag bearer, and ultimately, God Almighty will determine the outcome, not a few party stalwarts.
“If President Jonathan desires a return to Aso Rock, he must be ready to square up with nationally unifying aspirants such as Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim in an open and transparent primary.”
He maintained that President Jonathan was not particularly fantastic, noting that Nigeria’s decision in 2011 to break ranks with the African Union and support NATO’s intervention in Libya was a “strategic blunder” that allegedly destabilized the Sahel and aggravated insecurity across Nigeria, Mali, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, and other West African countries.
“The Jonathan era cannot be painted as a perfect time. It was a period when the diversity of our nation began to be deeply mismanaged, rekindling ethnic tensions and religious bigotry, a legacy that has unfortunately worsened under subsequent governments,” he added.
Hamzat reiterated that Nigerians deserve fresh leadership and a new vision to tackle the nation’s challenges, insisting that “the only way forward is forward, not backward.”
