Tinubu Encouraging Political Indiscipline With Opposition Inclusion In Campaign Council — Olawepo-Hashim

Accord Party presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has accused President Bola Tinubu of encouraging political indiscipline and undermining Nigeria’s party system by bringing opposition politicians into his political camp.

Olawepo-Hashim said the inclusion of politicians from opposition parties in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council reflected a breakdown of political discipline and respect for the independence of political parties.

He said these on Tuesday in an interview of Channels Television Politics Today.

He argued that the development was part of a broader pattern of political disorder that threatened the foundations of Nigeria’s democracy.

The revised All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council list for the 2027 general election had named the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke; Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo; former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola; and Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, among its members.

Speaking on the development, the Accord Party chieftain said, “We are in the era of multiple and serial political indiscipline that is encouraged by the president himself.”

He lamented what he described as the breakdown of established political conventions, noting that the country’s political process had become increasingly chaotic.

According to him, the political system is not designed to accommodate the level of indiscriminate political movement and realignment currently being witnessed.

“The political process has been broken into pieces, and you have a lot of chaos in the system, so people behave with a lot of political radicality,” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim also faulted what he described as the erosion of the independence and sanctity of political parties, arguing that these principles were essential to the proper functioning of a democratic system.

He maintained that political parties must retain their identities and independence rather than become platforms whose boundaries can be disregarded for individual political interests.

“The sanctity of political parties as independent entities is part of the building block of our democracy,” he said.

The presidential candidate accused Tinubu of contributing to the weakening of the party system, arguing that the president, as a beneficiary of democratic institutions, should be expected to protect them.

“When the man who is the greatest beneficiary of democratic office conducts himself in a manner in which he breaks down the political party system, that means he is unworthy of the office,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

He further accused the president and his political associates of bringing together politicians from different political backgrounds in a manner he believed could undermine the country’s democratic institutions.

“President Tinubu, by his conduct and the multitude of people that they have brought together to destroy our political system, is unworthy of having that office,” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim’s comments followed the controversy surrounding the composition of the APC’s revised presidential campaign council for the 2027 general election, which reportedly features politicians associated with opposition parties.

The development has raised questions about party loyalty, political realignments and the implications of cross-party alliances for the country’s electoral process.

Olawepo-Hashim also criticised the media’s handling of political developments, arguing that the framing of questions and public discussions could contribute to the normalisation of political indiscipline.

He urged the media to pay greater attention to the implications of political conduct for democratic institutions rather than allowing political actors to draw journalists into their disputes.

“I also think the media, the way you frame the question, you are also enabling this kind of indiscipline and perhaps even sharing the indiscipline,” he said.