The former
student union leader has distinguished himself in
partisan politics. The
Nigerian Tribune, a newspaper founded by the late Nigerian Nationalist leader, Chief
Obafemi Awolowo, captured this properly. The newspaper sometimes ago wrote: "In the political firmament of Nigeria, there are young Saraki’s, young Azikiwe’s, young Adedoyin’s who are children of established political and financial magnates but there are few names that have made it on their own to the political centre stage like Gbenga Olawepo, a rising star with no fall back platform or push of any godfather or back up of any financial empire. Talking of emerging political leaders this is a true discovery’’. 1995 was his initial entrance into partisan politics when he became National Publicity secretary of the National Democratic Labour Party (NDLP) in the transition programme announced by the Abacha regime. Eventually his party and that of some politicians like
Solomon Lar, Alhaji Rimi's SPP, Ciroma and
Bamanga Tukur's ANC were denied registration. Rather than find accommodation in the military founded parties, Olawepo found association with principled politicians who opposed the late Nigerian military dictator
Sani Abacha. This group of politicians first organised around the Institute for Civil Society and G-34 and later pioneered the formation of the
People's Democratic Party (PDP). Olawepo played a very active role in the formation of the PDP. He along with two others, Dahiru Awesu Kuta and Dubem Onyia, assisted Prof.
Jerry Gana, Secretary of the formative process of the party. He also made generous material contributions to the party apart from intellectual contributions which earned him the respect of more senior citizens in the party. Of this, Prof. Gana said: "When the restoration process to democracy came in 1998/1999, he was one of the young people who stood with us so that we may allow the genuine process of democracy take place. He was one of those who came to us even when we were being harassed by the regime that time in G-34, one man who stood out any day, any time was Gbenga. I was the first secretary of the PDP transforming from G-34, the constitution and manifesto of the party were produced within 24 hours in my office and in Gbenga‘s press’’ . And talking of courage, it does appear it is innate in him. He has such an uncommon ability to make enormous sacrifice for whatever he believes in. For instance, after the Anti-SAP protest when he left Nigeria en route
Ghana to represent "The All African Student Union" at the 13th Festival of youth and Students held in Korea, he was offered the opportunity to stay in Europe on
exile since the military authorities were hunting for him in Nigeria. However, he offered to return home, saying, "we have job to do in Nigeria". Olawepo again displayed courage when General Abacha suddenly died in 1998, on the eve of the consummation of his planned transmutation into a civilian dictator. The duo of Olawepo and Dan Nwanyawu, now National Chairman of Labour Party, coordinating with Jerry Gana, moved into Fort IBB- a military barrack in Abuja, which housed the then Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ishaya Bamayi -a key member of the military high command, to deliver a memorandum suggesting some direction for the transition to democracy. The final programme of transition reflected substantially their input. But it was a risky venture done when the destiny of the nation was hanging in the balance and when there was massive troop movement. Olawepo played prominent role in the transition process. In 1998/1999, he was the Secretary of the Women and Youth Development Committee of the Transition committee established by the then President-elect, Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo. He also assisted the then PDP Chief spokesperson – Senator Anietie Okon- in running the party's vast information machinery at the period of campaign and during the transition. At the first PDP elected convention in August 1999, the businessman cum politician, Olawepo, was elected Deputy National Publicity Secretary. As a member of the National Executive Committee of the ruling party, he acquired the reputation of being a fearless and honest leader who spoke the truth to power. He advocated for adherence to party constitution and internal democracy in party administration,
transparency and
accountability in governance. In an administration that was initially distracted by executive- legislative squabbles, though he was close to the President, he publicly upbraided his dictatorial tendencies while supporting his anti-corruption crusade. He was also on top of efforts to make the leadership of the National Assembly accountable. He was committed to a set of ideals no matter whose horse was gored. "His tenure in that capacity is easily remembered for the principled stand he took at a time when individual selfish interests constituted the looming albatross of the PDP. He personally fought against a ploy hatched by top national officials of the party to extend the tenure of party officers in contravention of the party statutes. The irony of his position is that he would have been one of the beneficiaries had it succeeded. The furore and dust which that incident generated can be said to have contributed to his ouster from office and the eventual travails he suffered in PDP; such rare triumph of personal principle over a tempting political
opportunism marked him out as a politician for the future". Although he was returned to his office after a protracted court battle, a long bitter struggle over
constitutionalism internal democracy and
due process has been ignited in the party leading to the resignation of a number of founding fathers including Olawepo from the party as it grew increasingly anti-democratic with its officials acting increasingly with impunity. The crises in the PDP, however, brought to fore the best of Olawepo, which could not be ignored by his critics. Speaking about Olawepo, the present Foreign Minister of Nigeria and former National Secretary of the PDP, Chief
Ojo Maduekwe, notes, "the lives of people like Olawepo should inspire us to speak well of ourselves. Gbenga is an inner driven person not afraid to stand alone, not afraid to be unpopular, not afraid to hold a view. A man who is inner driven listens to the music of his own universe, listens to the applause of the spirit inside that have etched out an horizon, which he must conquer and moving in that direction, he takes the lead and others follow who can see the horizon with him, of such is the stuff of history, of such is the stuff of greatness." After quitting the PDP, which he helped to form, the politician businessman continued his partisan political career in the opposition. In April 2007, he ran as governorship candidate of the Democratic People's Party (DPP) in
Kwara State and was declared first runner-up in an election many believed he won. International observers ruled the 2007 general elections as fraud. He contested the election result unsuccessfully to the appeal court. With the heat and
tribunal processes over, Olawepo returned to school in the
University of Buckingham to "cool off and catch up". It was almost twenty years after he left University of Lagos where his hope of pursuing an immediate post-graduate programme was punctuated by the university withholding his certificate for six years after graduation during the era of military dictatorship. In 2019, he contested to be President of Nigeria under a third party, People's Trust, against seating President,
Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressive Congress and main opposition candidate, Atiku Abukakar. ==Awards==