Catholic Bishops’ Presidential Visit: I’m Concerned For Tinubu — Olawepo-Hashim

President candidate of the Accord Party, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has expressed deep concern and sadness over President Bola Tinubu’s remarks during his recent meeting with Catholic bishops at the State House.

Olawepo-Hashim, the Co-Chairman of the Movement for Democratic Renewal, said the President’s public communication left him saddened rather than angry, adding that he listened repeatedly to the President’s remarks and came away with the impression that the Tinubu he heard was markedly different from the man he interacted with on several occasions between 2018 and 2021.

In a statement on Monday, Olawepo-Hashim said, “I listened to the recording over and over again. That was not the Bola Tinubu I knew between 2018 and 2021. I left deeply concerned. I am not making a medical diagnosis, but the President’s public communication gives me the impression that he may require genuine help.”

He said his interest was not political but human.

“Unlike many Nigerians who are angry with him, I genuinely feel pity for President Tinubu. My greatest worry is that those around him appear more interested in securing another election than in giving him the attention he deserves. If they truly love him, they should place his comportment, well-being, and the national interest above politics,” Olawepo-Hashim added.

He warned that whatever challenges the President may be facing must never become an excuse for undermining Nigeria’s democracy and stability.

“While we express concern over the President’s recent public communication, let us also make one thing unmistakably clear: Nigeria must never return to the dark era when elections were won by every means necessary.”

He recalled that Nigeria set a historic democratic benchmark in 2015 when then-President Goodluck Jonathan accepted defeat, conceded the election, and peacefully transferred power to the opposition.

“That election elevated Nigeria’s democratic standing before the world. Ironically, the beneficiary of that democratic maturity was the party that produced President Tinubu. History must not now be reversed.”

The former presidential candidate declared that the 2027 general election must meet and surpass the 2015 standard of credibility.

“Let it be heard loudly across Nigeria and beyond: any election that falls short of the 2015 democratic standard will not be acceptable to the Nigerian people or to Nigeria’s friends across the world.”

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and all democratic institutions to discharge their constitutional responsibilities with absolute neutrality and professionalism.

“The credibility of the 2027 election will determine the future of our democracy. Nigeria needs free and fair elections, not coronations. Our institutions must serve the Constitution, not any individual or political party,” he stated.

Olawepo-Hashim maintained that Nigeria’s democracy is bigger than any government, political party, individual ambition, or the selfish interests of some political cabals.

“This is a defining moment. We owe future generations a democracy stronger than the one we inherited. Nigeria must move forward, not backwards,” he stressed.