Olawepo-Hashim reveals concealed Hausa heritage

Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a presidential candidate from Nigeria’s Accord Party, explained that his father deliberately hid his Hausa ancestry and royal lineage from him for 27 years.

Alhaji Hashim Abdullahi Yauri, a former Police Commissioner, acted on advice from a cleric who feared danger within the royal family of Yauri, in Kebbi State. To protect his son, the elder Hashim relocated Olawepo-Hashim to the Borgu Emirate and raised him with a different identity, away from Hausa traditions.

Olawepo-Hashim grew up within a Yoruba cultural environment, named Abdulmalik, but unaware of his paternal grandfather, Seriki Abdullahi Jibril, the 40th Seriki of Yauri. His grandfather, honoured with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), was known for his financial expertise and independence during the colonial era and World War II. Olawepo-Hashim previously shared that he was born in Yauri in 1969 and later raised by his stepfather, Julius Bamidele Olawepo.

The presidential candidate stated that learning about his Yauri heritage did not negate his Yoruba upbringing, but instead enriched his understanding of his complex identity. He described his father, nicknamed “Zaki” the Lion for his courage, as a respected figure across Northern Nigeria. Olawepo-Hashim and his siblings recently commemorated the 30th anniversary of their father’s death, bringing the family’s history into sharper focus.