For 27 Years, I Didn’t Know The Full Story — Olawepo-Hashim Reveals Hidden Identity

Accord Party presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has revealed that his late father concealed his Hausa and royal Yauri heritage from him for 27 years, saying the decision was made out of concern for his safety.

Olawepo-Hashim disclosed that his father, Alhaji Hashim Abdullahi Yauri, took the decision after an Islamic cleric reportedly warned him about potential dangers within the royal family.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the presidential candidate said the warning prompted his father to keep his identity away from him while he was growing up. He was subsequently relocated to the Borgu Emirate, where he was raised under a different identity and largely immersed in a Yoruba cultural environment.

Olawepo-Hashim said he was given the name Abdulmalik at birth but grew up without knowing the full details of his paternal background, including his Hausa ancestry and connection to the Yauri royal family.

He described his father’s decision as one in which protection was prioritised over inheritance, saying the secrecy remained in place for more than two decades.

“He chose protection over inheritance,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

The politician said the discovery of his heritage later gave him a deeper understanding of the different cultural influences that shaped his upbringing. He noted that embracing his Yauri and Hausa roots did not diminish the Yoruba cultural environment in which he was raised.

“It is the story of a father who chose secrecy as an act of protection; a child who grew up between cultures without knowing the full story of his origins; and a family history that eventually returned to him decades later,” he said.

“For 27 years, I lived without knowing the full story of who I was,” Olawepo-Hashim added.

He also paid tribute to his late father, describing him as an influential police officer who rose through the ranks to become a Police Commissioner and later Commandant of the Police College in Kaduna.

Olawepo-Hashim also spoke about his grandfather, Seriki Jibril, whom he identified as the 40th ruler of Yauri and a prominent traditional ruler of his era.

He described his grandfather as a member of a generation of educated Northern royals who combined traditional leadership with education, administration and commerce. He also highlighted what he described as his grandfather’s knowledge of finance and trade, financial prudence, transparency and commitment to education.

According to Olawepo-Hashim, his grandfather was a Hausa royal who received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) during the colonial period. He further recalled that British records portrayed him as an independent traditional ruler who exercised considerable administrative autonomy during the Second World War.

Olawepo-Hashim said learning about his family history eventually allowed him to better understand the different cultural and historical strands that shaped his identity.

He explained that his upbringing reflected both the Yoruba environment in which he was raised and the Hausa and Yauri heritage that had been kept from him during his childhood.

The revelation adds a personal dimension to the background of the Accord Party presidential candidate, who was born in Yelwa, Yauri, Kebbi State, and has previously spoken publicly about his political and personal journey. Contemporary biographical accounts also identify him as a former presidential candidate and businessman with longstanding involvement in Nigerian politics.