The resolution was taken at the party’s 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Monday in Abuja, where leaders also confirmed Umar Damagum as substantive National Chairman and upheld the existing zoning formula for the November elective convention scheduled for Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the decision followed the submission of a report by the zoning committee chaired by Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri. He noted that the arrangement retained all national offices in their current regional blocs, meaning northern-held positions remain in the North and southern-held positions remain in the South.
“Having retained the position of National Chairman in the North, the presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2027 general elections is hereby zoned to the Southern region,” Ologunagba said while reading the communiqué.
He added that the NEC expressed satisfaction with preparations for the 2025 elective convention slated for November 15–16 in Ibadan.
The zoning decision immediately sparked political calculations within the party. Governor Makinde is widely seen as a strong contender, while discussions continue about a possible return of former Anambra governor and 2023 Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, to the PDP fold.
The development also drew reactions from across the political spectrum. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, said the NEC resolution vindicated the position of the G-5 governors who in 2022 insisted on balancing power between the North and South.
Meanwhile, All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesperson Bala Ibrahim dismissed the move as inconsequential, insisting that President Tinubu will secure re-election in 2027 regardless of the PDP’s candidate.
“The APC is a national party with a performing president. PDP can zone the ticket anywhere, but Nigerians will vote competence and performance, and that is what Tinubu represents,” Ibrahim said.
Within the PDP, stakeholders have described the decision as a potential turning point. The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, stressed that leaders were working to restore unity and credibility to the party ahead of the 2027 polls.
Similarly, PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, represented by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, urged members to embrace unity, sacrifice, and reconciliation, describing 2027 as a defining moment for the opposition party.
In Oyo State, Makinde’s loyalists welcomed the zoning decision. Dare Adeleke, Special Adviser on Federal Constituency Matters to the governor, said Makinde had “paid his dues” in the PDP and was in pole position to secure the ticket.
However, not all party voices agreed. Former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, faulted the zoning decision, arguing that it indirectly strengthens President Tinubu’s chances of re-election.
Zoning has long been a divisive issue within the PDP. In 2015, the revolt of northern members against former President Goodluck Jonathan’s candidacy contributed to the party’s first-ever loss of the presidency. A similar dispute in 2023 over Atiku Abubakar’s candidacy further weakened the PDP, paving the way for Tinubu’s victory.
With the ticket now formally zoned to the South, all eyes are on who will emerge from the PDP primaries — a contest that may pit Makinde, Obi, and other southern heavyweights against one another as the opposition seeks to reclaim power in 2027.
— KogiTribune
