Abuja, Nigeria – Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the southern region of the country. The decision was announced by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, following a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Monday.
The move comes after the party faced internal divisions during the 2023 general election, when it opted for an open ticket. This led to a split with some southern leaders, including then-Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who argued that the presidential ticket should have been micro-zoned to the south. The PDP’s candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ultimately lost the election to President Bola Tinubu.
The new resolution, based on a report from the party’s Zoning Committee, maintains the existing zoning arrangement for the PDP’s National Working Committee. The decision confirms that all national offices currently held by the northern region will remain there, while those in the southern region will also be retained.
In addition to the zoning announcement, the NEC confirmed Umar Damagum as the substantive National Chairman and expressed satisfaction with the party’s preparations for its 2025 Elective National Convention, scheduled for November in Ibadan. The party also condemned what it described as the ruling All Progressives Congress’s (APC) alleged use of intimidation and violence in recent bye-elections, calling it a “clear and present danger to democracy.”
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