Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has suffered a major political blow in the North-West geopolitical zone as a growing number of former members and high-profile stakeholders across Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states officially dumped the party.​
The defectors have declared their total support for the Accord Party and endorsed the presidential aspiration of renowned pro-democracy activist and businessman, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim.
​The mass endorsements were announced during separate, highly attended mobilization meetings held across the three strategic northern states.
The gatherings brought together notable political leaders, grassroots mobilizers, women leaders, and influential youth stakeholders who pledged to deliver the region for Olawepo-Hashim’s upcoming presidential bid.
​According to key speakers at the events, the decision to dump the APC stems from widespread dissatisfaction with the current state of governance, severe economic hardship, persistent insecurity, and what they described as a widening disconnect between the federal government and ordinary Nigerians.​
Having actively worked to secure victories for the ruling party in previous election cycles, the stakeholders stated that they now believe Nigeria requires an entirely new political direction and a leadership alternative capable of addressing the nation’s critical challenges.
​Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Kano, Mallam Goje Bashir, a prominent former APC stakeholder who moved to the Accord Party along with hundreds of his supporters, expressed deep disillusionment with the incumbent administration.
​”I was a dedicated APC member, but President Tinubu has failed Nigeria,” Bashir stated openly. “I am now declaring full support for Dr. Gbenga Hashim of the Accord Party. He is a unifying figure who possesses the capacity to provide a credible alternative to the existing political establishment.
The people of Kano and the entire North will queue behind him in 2027.”​Echoing these sentiments, former APC chieftain Hajia Rabi Fagge asserted that a powerful political realignment is already taking shape across northern Nigeria as citizens actively seek leadership focused on accountability, development, and national renewal.​
“Northern Nigeria will deliver victory for Gbenga Hashim in 2027 to rescue ordinary Nigerians,” Fagge declared.​
Parallel stakeholders’ meetings in Jigawa and Katsina states mirrored the momentum in Kano, with local political actors expressing confidence that Olawepo-Hashim’s track record as a steadfast activist and detribalized leader makes him the ideal candidate to steer the country out of its current economic and social crises.​
With the 2027 election cycle drawing closer, these high-profile defections signal a shifting political landscape in the North-West a region historically vital to securing presidential victory in Nigeria.
