The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South while retaining the party chairmanship in the North.
The decision came during the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, where Umar Damagum was also confirmed as National Chairman.
Damagum first assumed the role in March 2023 following the suspension of Senator Iyorchia Ayu, a move later upheld by the courts. He had previously served as the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North).
The zoning of the presidential ticket has long been a divisive issue in Nigerian politics. In 2023, the PDP’s decision to throw the ticket open led to the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as candidate, sparking internal rifts. Among the dissenters was former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who subsequently backed Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Tinubu, now President, has already secured his party’s endorsement as the APC’s flagbearer for 2027. His candidacy from the South has influenced the PDP’s zoning decision, which appears aimed at balancing Nigeria’s political equation.
In May 2025, Wike warned the PDP that zoning the ticket to the North would be a strategic blunder, stressing that repeating the 2023 approach would “backfire.” He argued that selfishness could destroy the party if it failed to align its strategy with the political realities ahead of 2027.
With the zoning issue settled, the PDP is yet to announce its flagbearer, though political watchers expect intense lobbying and internal manoeuvring before the party’s convention in November.