By Ayomide Otitoju
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resolved to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South while retaining the national chairmanship in the North.
The decision was ratified during the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, where members also affirmed Umar Damagum as National Chairman. Damagum has been serving in an acting capacity since March 2023, following the suspension of former chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu, a decision later upheld by the courts.
Zoning the PDP presidential ticket has long been a contentious issue within Nigeria’s political landscape. In the 2023 election cycle, the party’s choice to throw the ticket open led to the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate — a move that sparked internal crisis. Displeased with the decision, former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike withheld support for Atiku and backed then-candidate Bola Tinubu, who eventually won the presidency under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC has already adopted Tinubu as its candidate for the 2027 elections, setting the stage for a keenly contested race. While the PDP has yet to name its flagbearer, party leaders said the zoning decision was aimed at stabilising the party ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a PDP chieftain, had in May 2025 warned that zoning the presidential ticket to the North would be a strategic blunder. He argued that the opposition party must position itself wisely if it hopes to challenge the APC.
“As a party, come out openly now and say our presidential candidate will also come from the South. You don’t want to repeat the same game you played in 2023. It will backfire,” Wike said at a media parley in Abuja.
He further cautioned that selfishness in decision-making could undermine the party’s survival, noting that if Tinubu secures re-election in 2027, the APC would likely zone its ticket to the North in 2031, leaving the PDP in a weaker negotiating position.
