The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned its presidential slot for the 2027 election to the Southern part of Nigeria, just as the party has decided to retain the chairmanship position for a Northerner.
The decision was made during the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Monday in Abuja, where Umar Damagum was affirmed as the party’s National Chairman.
The zoning of the presidential ticket has been a contentious issue in Nigeria’s political landscape.
With the current presidency occupied by a Southerner, Bola Tinubu, the PDP’s decision to zone its presidential slot to the South has sparked debate.
Some party members, like Nyesom Wike, have expressed concerns about zoning the ticket to the North in 2027, citing the need for the party to be strategic in its decision-making.
The NEC meeting also affirmed Umar Damagum as the party’s National Chairman.
Damagum emerged as acting national chairman in March 2023 after the suspension of Senator Iyorchia Ayu and was later upheld by a court.
While the PDP has yet to adopt its flagbearer for the next election cycle, Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and PDP chieftain, in May, 2025, warned that zoning the 2027 presidential ticket to the North would fail.
He further explained that it would not be smart for the opposition party to zone its presidential ticket to the North in 2027 if the ruling APC’s presidential candidate would come from the South.
According to him, “As a party, come out openly now (and say) our presidential candidate will also come from the South? You don’t want to do that; you want to play the same game you played in 2023.
”It will backfire, and when it backfires, you will say these people did this, these people did that. I have told people: this smartness will not help you. Come out now and let everybody know this is where we are heading.
”This is not the time to send the presidency to the North. No,” he said at a media parley in Abuja on May 12.
Speaking further on the issue, Wike added, “The point is that selfishness can kill a system. If Mr President runs, for example, and wins in 2027, by 2031, the APC will zone their presidential ticket to the North. The PDP will do what then?
“Then you’ll come back and say, since the APC has zoned it to the North, let’s keep it in the North. What kind of smartness is that?”, he added.
