₦airaland Forum

DelphiOracle:
IDP camps inside a country that is not at war.

The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has warned of looming disease risks and a worsening humanitarian crisis in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across Nigeria’s North-West, calling for urgent intervention to provide food, safe drinking water, shelter, sanitation and healthcare to displaced families.

In a statement authorised by its Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, PeacePro said field observations in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto States raised serious concerns about the welfare of displaced people, many of whom have reportedly established makeshift settlements after fleeing banditry with inadequate government support.

The organisation reported encountering more than 30 IDP camps during a visit to Sokoto State, including in the Sabon Birni area. In Zamfara, it identified settlements at Tsunami Camp, Government Secondary School Tsunami, Mareri, Tudun Wada and Unguwar Gwaza in Gusau, as well as camps in Anka, Lalan and Premier. It also raised concerns about displaced populations in Katsina State.

PeacePro warned that inadequate food, unsafe drinking water, poor shelter, deficient sanitation and limited access to healthcare could expose camp residents to preventable diseases and other serious health emergencies. It called for urgent medical assessments, disease surveillance, essential medicines and the immediate provision of basic relief supplies.

PeacePro linked the humanitarian crisis to the wider impact of banditry, which it says has forced residents to abandon more than 500 communities across the North-West. It stressed, however, that the immediate priority must be the survival and welfare of displaced people already living in camps.

PeacePro urged the Federal Government, the Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto State Governments, emergency management agencies and humanitarian organisations to assess the camps urgently, identify underserved settlements and mobilise emergency assistance. It also called for transparent reporting on identified needs and the relief delivered.

Hamzat warned that the humanitarian consequences of insecurity must not be overlooked, stressing that people forced to flee violence should not be left without the basic necessities required to survive with dignity.

PeacePro called for a coordinated and sustained humanitarian response, alongside security measures that would enable displaced communities to return home safely when conditions permit.

ibtommy:
. Yes! It is,but I need to ask him why he decided to waste his money on this rubbish election. He cannot win. That's the plain truth. As a politician, you need to study the political atmosphere before you decide to run for a position. Keep that moeny well, plan well, strategies well. That's how to do it. Does he want to win ahead of Atiku? I doubt it.

Fresh boost for Accord Party Presidential Candidate, Dr. Gbenga Hashim, as Hausa Zallah leader hails democratic process amid growing online advocacy for Hashim’s presidential bid.

The National Chairman of Kungiyar Hausa Nigeria, popularly known as Hausa Zallah, Abdullahi Abdullahi, has congratulated Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim following his court victory and the inclusion of his name on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) candidate platform as the Accord Party’s Presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

The development adds to the growing public attention surrounding Hashim’s Presidential ambition, particularly amid increased online advocacy for his candidacy among Hausa-speaking activists.

In a congratulatory message shared on social media, Abdullahi described Hashim’s legal victory as more than a personal milestone, highlighting its significance for Nigeria’s democratic journey and reaffirming the importance of the rule of law.

“I warmly congratulate Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim on this significant court victory affirming his candidacy as the Presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027Presidential election,” Abdullahi stated.

He commended Hashim for remaining steadfast throughout the legal process and expressing confidence in the country’s judicial institutions. He also expressed hope that the victory would usher in a new chapter of unity, responsibility and constructive service to Nigeria.

The chairman’s message comes as political parties and prospective candidates position themselves ahead of the2027 Presidential election. Hashim’s reported appearance on INEC’s candidate platform following the court ruling has added another dimension to public discussion of his candidacy and Accord’s potential role in the forthcoming contest.

In a related development, Hausa Zallah leaders visited Hashim in Abuja weeks earlier, with the engagement subsequently shared on social media. Several Hausa-speaking activists have also continued to promote his candidacy online, increasing the visibility of hisPresidential bid within sections of the Hausa-speaking digital community.

These engagements have drawn attention to the relationship between Hashim and prominent voices within that online community, although the extent of any organised political support remains undetermined.

It is, however, unclear whether Abdullahi’s congratulatory message represents a personal expression of support or an official endorsement by Hausa Zallah as an organisation. His statement did not explicitly announce the movement’s formal adoption of Hashim as its preferredPresidential candidate.

Nevertheless, the congratulatory message, coming alongside the reported court victory, INEC listing and previous engagement between the candidate and Hausa Zallah leaders, adds to the political visibility surrounding Hashim’s 2027 Presidential ambition.

duro4chang:
PDP is stronger than Accord in Kwara

Ahmeduana:
This are the useless idiots that will spoil Atikus votes

duro4chang:
If it is the same Kwara that I know, Tinubu will win convincingly. No doubt about that. NDC and ADC has nothing on ground not to talk about Accord.

delpee:
What major leadership role has the man played in the public or private sector by which we can reasonably assess his skills and performance?

The Hashim Progressive Movement (HPM) has set a target of at least six million votes for Accord Party Presidential candidate, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, across Nigeria’s North-West region in the 2027 general election.

Hon. Aminu Aminu, HPM coordinator and Accord’s senatorial candidate for Jigawa Central, announced the target, saying the movement was mobilising supporters across the seven States of Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.

“We will prove he is our own in this region and the face of the New North,” Aminu said, describing the campaign as an effort to demonstrate Hashim’s connection with the region and his appeal as a Presidential candidate with a National outlook.

“This is a homecoming. For decades, the North has searched for a leader who understands its people and their challenges while offering a National vision for all Nigerians. We believe Dr Gbenga Hashim represents that possibility,” he said.

Aminu said HPM’s mobilisation strategy would involve ward by ward and door to door engagement, with youth and women mobilisers working alongside Accord’s legislative candidates to strengthen the Party’s Presidential campaign.

The movement plans to link its Presidential mobilisation efforts with Accord’s Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates to improve coordination and expand grassroots engagement across the region.

“We are connecting Presidential hope to grassroots reality,” Aminu said.

He added that the movement believed voters were seeking practical solutions to insecurity and economic hardship, issues on which Hashim had continued to outline policy proposals.

The six-million-vote figure represents HPM’s stated target for the North-West ahead of the 2027 election.

The Kwara State Publicity Secretary of the Accord Party, Olamilekan Esinrogunjo, has declared that the Rainbow Coalition will fail to make the expected electoral impact in the state, arguing that the alliance is built more around political realignments among elites than a demonstrable transfer of grassroots support.

Esinrogunjo, in a statement on the emerging political alignment ahead of the 2027 elections, said the coalition is faulty, has no governance message and thrives only on personality battles, a development that presents a credibility challenge because of what he described as contradictions in its political positioning.

He particularly questioned the coalition's decision to combine opposition politics in Kwara with support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the federal level.

According to him, asking voters to reject APC candidates in Kwara while simultaneously mobilising support for the APC presidential candidate creates a political message that cannot sell amongst the electorate.

"You cannot claim to be opposition in Kwara and, at the same time, ask the same people to support the APC at the presidential level. That contradiction is one of the fundamental problems of the Rainbow Coalition," Esinrogunjo said.

He also dismissed the assumption that the movement of prominent politicians across party lines would automatically translate into votes.

"They can make noise here and there. Politicians can move from one party to another, but votes do not move automatically with them. An alliance of politicians is not necessarily an alliance of voters," he said.

Esinrogunjo argued that the coalition's reliance on political heavyweights and former office holders to attract support back to the Saraki dynasty is more noise than impact. According to him, it has no governance or electoral substance and has failed to establish a clear message capable of attracting ordinary voters across Kwara.

He said the central question confronting the coalition was what it actually represented to the electorate.

"What is the Rainbow Coalition offering Kwarans beyond political realignment? Is it an opposition platform, a vehicle for supporting the President, a return to the defeated dynasty or simply an arrangement among politicians seeking new political opportunities?" he queried.

The Accord chieftain further argued that the 2027 election would not be determined solely by defections, endorsements or elite alliances, but by the ability of political platforms to connect with voters, which he said is what the Accord Party is offering from presidential down to state assembly.

"Kwara is not anybody's political inheritance. The people own their votes, and they will decide who gets their mandate," Esinrogunjo said.

He maintained that Accord would continue to present itself as the only real opposition platform focused on policy, grassroots engagement and what he described as a "new direction" for the state.

Esinrogunjo urged voters to look beyond the movement of politicians between parties and assess political platforms based on their programmes, candidates, records and capacity to address the challenges confronting the state.

Kdon2:
Overconfident indeed. Perhaps you have comprehension problem. Try to read slowly maybe you will get thmy point.

Kdon2:
Anybody that wants to contest after Tinubu has completed his second term is welcome, but for now it's Tinubu till 2031. Let them prepare for post 2031.

naptu2:
So you still haven't been able to procure sense?

Don't lose hope, keep trying, you might get it one day.

naptu2:
Has INEC recognised him?

Is he on INEC's list of candidates?

SamuraiXXX:
If they want to contest to be president of Nigeria then they should renounce or give up their foreign citizenship, it's a simple as that.

And for your info Barack Obama was born in the United States of America and not Kenya so he has a legitimate claim to being an American; if he were born in Kenya he would never have become president of the US.

A Nigerian president or any president for that matter who has dual citizenship has divided allegiance therefore it will be difficult for him to take unbiased decisions in matters concerning the two countries

As Nigeria's political class intensifies its battle for influence in Washington ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Accord Party presidential candidate Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim is executing a fundamentally different strategy, a four continent, African led global lobbying operation designed not just to win an election, but to secure Nigeria beyond 2027.

African media outlet, the African Report last week identified Gbenga Hashim as the fourth Nigerian political figure to engage Washington lobbyists, noting that total Nigerian linked spending to influence US policymakers has now crossed $11 million.

The revelation comes as President Bola Tinubu and other defendants face a $57 million lawsuit in a US federal court.

But insiders with knowledge of Accord presidential candidate’s operations noted that Hashim's move is far broader than a K Street contract.

Unlike the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which reportedly retained US super firm DCI Group in a massive $9 million contract for international relations and public image management, Gbenga Hashim did not go directly to an American firm.

His contract is held through the Regional Centre for Governance & Security Policy Initiative, a policy think tank based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, providing strategic advice to Hashim. The Centre is led by Ambassador Jonathan Sandy, a former ECOWAS diplomat who served as National Security Adviser and Chief of Staff to former Sierra Leonean President Tejan Kabbah.

Execution in Washington has been subcontracted to Moran Global Strategies, a prominent government relations firm led by former Democratic US Congressman Jim Moran.

The model is intentional, African centre leads policy and strategy, American firm executes outreach to Congress and executive branch stakeholders on Democratic governance, Security and Trade, and Regional Stability in West Africa.

Hashim's global lobbying did not start in Washington. Earlier, precisely in 2025, he retained Ashford Advisory, led by British strategist and Managing Director, Mr. Francis Higgins, which coordinated quiet international relations advisory out of Qatar for engagement with Gulf States and Europe.

The result is a lobbying architecture spanning four continents, Freetown (African policy hub), Doha (Middle East and Gulf outreach), London (European strategic advisory), and Washington (US government relations).

"This can be seen in his choice of lobby firm, which is an African based think tank with pan-African credentials and the US involvement is simply a small part in a larger global lobbying to put Nigeria's proper perspective to relevant global players," a source familiar with the strategy said.

The international push follows a critical domestic legal victory. Hashim has been locked in a bitter internal leadership dispute within his centre-right Accord Party, with a faction reportedly hesitant to challenge President Tinubu. On October 5, 2026, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in Olawepo-Hashim's favour, confirming him as Accord's sole 2027 presidential candidate.

The lobbying push, insiders say, acts as international reinforcement of his position as a legitimate, top tier contender, ensuring the opposition's perspective is not drowned out by State sponsored PR.

Through Moran Global Strategies, Hashim's team is pursuing two highly specific diplomatic outcomes that transcend his candidacy.

Securing Nigeria through Security Diplomacy and Locking in Free and Fair Elections.

Hashim has been a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration's handling of National security, framing unilateral US counter terrorism airstrikes in Northern Nigeria as an indictment of local leadership capacity.

It is a position rooted in his long held security vision. In 2021, Hashim called for Nigeria to sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with friendly Nations to gain access to global intelligence frameworks, advanced surveillance and counter terrorism expertise.

By positioning himself as a regional Statesman capable of navigating West Africa's security crises and the Sahel insurgency, his team expects the lobbying push to establish him as a viable, alternative partner for US trade and regional stability.

The core expectation is to build direct communication channels with US lawmakers, the State Department, and specialized Africa policy stakeholders to brief them on the state of Nigeria's democratic governance. The goal is to ensure the US applies heavy diplomatic pressure for free, fair and transparent elections in 2027, regardless of who wins.

Hashim brings an unusual profile to the race. A former student activist turned businessman with interests in the energy sector across Europe, America and Africa, he is a recipient of the Lord Max Beloff Prize in Global Affairs in 2009 from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom. His grasp of global security as a scholar is generating interest in the international policy circuit, and his $4 trillion economic revival plan first published in 2018 outlining industrialisation and job creation has resurfaced amid Nigeria's current economic struggles.

While the Washington lobbying race has been framed as a contest for American favour ahead of 2027, Hashim's operation reframes it as a contest for Nigeria's future.

His argument to world capitals is blunt: Nigeria's 2027 election is not a local Nigerian affair, It is a global security imperative. If the election lacks credibility, the fallout will reverberate across West Africa, deepen the Sahel insurgency, and destabilize trade and counter terrorism efforts across the sub-continent.

In that sense, while others are spending millions to launder an image in Washington, Hashim is spending to put a Nigerian security and democratic imperative on the front burner of global policy - using an African platform, operating from the Middle East and Europe, and executing in America.

It is not lobbying for an election. It is lobbying to secure Nigeria beyond the election.

Nomsu247:
inspiring to see a political candidate who actually has a proven record of standing up for justice and human rights from his days as a student activist.

casualobserver:
It is common sense for people who understand what it means to be a citizen of a country and what allegiance to your country means.

When a people who aren’t dual citizens openly de-market their country, constantly run to other countries to report their internal affairs and grievances, willingly ridicule their country, calling for military action against their country by other countries, what does it matter if a contestant is a dual citizen?

Let those who aren’t dual citizens show they understand what it means to be a citizen of a country before they start pontificating.

I agree, that once you willingly take an oath of allegiance to another country, you should not be able to contest for any office in Nigeria but when Nigerians without dual nationality themselves act against the interests of their country, they make the whole issue a waste of time and energy.

The South-West Coordinator of the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM), Alhaji Abass Olaniyi, has declared that the movement is targeting more than three million votes for the Accord Party’s presidential candidate, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, across the South-West in the 2027 general election.

Abass said the projection reflects the movement’s internal assessment of its grassroots mobilisation prospects across the region, with Osun, Lagos and Oyo expected to provide the largest contributions.

According to Abass, Osun State is projected to contribute more than one million votes despite Gov Adeleke’s disloyalty to the party, while Lagos and Oyo are expected to deliver a combined 1.5 million votes.

Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti are expected to contribute the remaining votes needed to reach the regional target of more than three million votes.

Olaniyi expressed confidence in the movement’s ability to expand its grassroots presence through engagement with community leaders, youth groups, political stakeholders and local organisations across the six South-West states.

The projection places particular emphasis on Osun, where the movement expects voters to make independent choices in the presidential election, irrespective of political alignments involving state level leaders.

As preparations for the 2027 general election gather momentum, GHSM says it intends to translate its regional mobilisation efforts into measurable electoral support for Olawepo-Hashim and the Accord Party

The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has called for a constitutional amendment requiring anyone seeking public office in Nigeria to renounce citizenship of any other country, arguing that those entrusted with governing the nation must demonstrate exclusive allegiance to Nigeria.

PeacePro Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, said the proposal is in the public interest because decisions made by Nigerian leaders affect millions of citizens, control public resources and shape the country's security, economic future and international relations.

“Anyone who wants to hold public office in Nigeria must renounce citizenship in any other country. You cannot ask Nigerians to entrust you with their future while retaining the citizenship of another nation. Those who govern Nigeria must be prepared to put Nigeria first, without divided national allegiance,” Hamzat said.

He argued that the proposal deserves serious consideration at a time when Nigerians expect greater accountability from public officials and stronger assurances that national interests will take precedence over personal or foreign interests.

“Public office is not a private privilege; it is a public trust. Those who make decisions on Nigeria's security, economy, natural resources and foreign policy must be able to demonstrate that their primary national commitment is beyond question.” Hamzat said.

PeacePro noted that dual citizenship does not automatically make a person disloyal. However, it argued that Nigeria should openly debate whether those exercising public authority should be subject to stricter citizenship requirements, particularly where sensitive national decisions are involved.

The organisation acknowledged that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, already disqualifies certain candidates who voluntarily acquire foreign citizenship from contesting specified elective offices. However, it does not impose a blanket requirement for every dual citizen to renounce foreign citizenship before holding public office.

Hamzat therefore urged the National Assembly to consider a constitutional amendment extending the proposed requirement to elected and appointed public positions, with clear provisions defining its scope and implementation.

“This is not about rejecting Nigerians in the diaspora or questioning their contributions to national development. It is about establishing a consistent standard for those who seek the authority to govern. If ordinary Nigerians are expected to bear the consequences of decisions made in this country, those making those decisions must demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to Nigeria,” he said.

PeacePro called for a national debate on the proposal, stressing that any reform must be pursued through constitutional processes and carefully balanced against the rights of Nigerians by birth, democratic participation and the country's interest in benefiting from diaspora expertise.

PeacePro maintained that Nigeria's sovereignty, public trust and national interest must remain central to any debate about the qualifications required to govern the country.

LordIsaac:
Zero strike. 4 years became four years!

Jakarta:
Half done coastal-inland road. But as far as 2027 is concerned the odds dey in favour of that old man.

ednut1:
This one just dey position himself for appointment

LordLicifer:
Today he is supporting and in the govament that is oppressing nigerians.

Ironic isn't?

ASHLAND:
That is very nice. Actually, many of Nigeria financial institutions are big enough to have their own data center.👍🏾

Accord Party Presidential candidate, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has recounted his controversial confrontation with former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, at Lagos Airport in 1988, when he was a student activist at the University of Lagos.

An extract from his forthcoming autobiography, Sunrise At Midnight, recounts how Hashim and four fellow activists broke through a Police cordon and advanced onto the airport tarmac during Thatcher’s visit to Nigeria, leading to their arrest.

The incident occurred on January 7, 1988, amid growing opposition to Thatcher’s position on economic sanctions against South Africa’s Apartheid Government. Her visit triggered protests by Nigerian students, workers and anti-apartheid campaigners who believed Britain should exert stronger economic pressure to dismantle the racist system.

Thatcher opposed punitive economic pressure, arguing that it could worsen the hardship of black South Africans and damage the economies of neighbouring African countries. In her address at an official dinner in Lagos that evening, she maintained that destroying South Africa’s economy would not provide the best route to ending apartheid.

Nigerian activists, however, considered her position inadequate in the face of racial oppression and the denial of political rights to the black majority.

According to Hashim’s account, the protest began at the Nigeria Labour Congress secretariat on Olajuwon Street, Tejuosho, before demonstrators marched through Yaba and along Ikorodu Road towards Ikeja Airport.

The protesters carried placards and African National Congress flags produced by the Nigeria-ANC Friendship and Cultural Association. Hashim’s recollection puts the crowd at approximately 2,500, with the procession stretching across a substantial part of Lagos and causing traffic disruption.

Their destination was the airport’s Protocol Gate, where they hoped to make their opposition to Thatcher’s position impossible to ignore.

Authorities had anticipated the demonstration and deployed Police officers along the route and around the airport. A mass rally at the airport had been prohibited, and security personnel cordoned off the perimeter ahead of the British Prime Minister’s arrival.

But for Hashim and a small group of student activists, remaining behind the Police line would have meant missing an opportunity to deliver their message directly to the visiting delegation.

When Thatcher’s aircraft landed at approximately 12:05 p.m., the confrontation entered its most dramatic phase.

Hashim’s account describes how five student activists decided to breach the security cordon and move onto the tarmac. Their aim was to bring their placards and anti-apartheid message as close as possible to the British Prime Minister and the Nigerian officials receiving her.

The activists broke through the Police line and advanced towards the arriving delegation, led on the Nigerian side by Augustus Aikhomu, then Deputy Head of State and Chief of General Staff.

Their sudden appearance on the tarmac caused alarm among officials and security personnel.

According to the recollection, Chief Press Secretary Duro Onabule shouted, “See them!” An order followed: “Arrest them!”
Within moments, the protest had turned into an arrest operation.

The five activists identified in the account were Odion Akhaine, Olaitan Oyerinde, Rotimi Ewebiyi, Chris Ayaeze and Hashim himself.

They were taken to the Lagos Airport Police Station and detained in a small cell.

Hashim has subsequently recalled leading the student contingent that defied security restrictions during Thatcher’s visit.

Contemporary reporting also confirms that protesters challenged the British Prime Minister over her position on apartheid during her January 1988 visit, although not every detail of the activists’ encounter on the tarmac is independently documented.

From airport protest to a life of activism, the confrontation did not end when the five activists were taken away. Inside the Police Station, they faced the uncertainty and discomfort of detention.

For Hashim, the incident became part of a wider history of student activism, human-rights advocacy and resistance to authoritarian rule in Nigeria.

The protest was more than a demonstration against a visiting foreign leader. It reflected the conviction among Nigerian anti-apartheid campaigners that the struggle against racial oppression in South Africa was a shared African responsibility, and that international leaders should be held accountable for the policies they pursued.

The episode also illustrated the risks activists were prepared to take to challenge political authority and make their views heard, even when doing so brought them into direct conflict with security agencies.

In Sunrise At Midnight, Hashim revisits the incident as a defining episode in his early political life. The account offers a personal perspective on a period when Nigerian students and labour activists joined the international campaign against apartheid, confronting both foreign policy disagreements and domestic restrictions on protest.

Nearly four decades later, the story remains part of Hashim’s public record as an anti-apartheid activist. His recollection brings the reader back to a tense day at Lagos Airport, when five young Nigerians crossed a Police cordon to protest a British Prime Minister’s position on South Africa and paid for the decision with their freedom, at least temporarily.

TheAlchemist:
what happens when online bandit kidnap the data center.