PDP Zones 2027 Presidential Ticket to South, Affirms Damagum as National Chairmanship

In a significant move ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially zoned its presidential candidacy to the southern part of Nigeria.

Also, the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) has decided that its national chairman position will remain with a northerner.

The decisions were finalized during the NEC meeting held in Abuja, where the council also confirmed Umar Damagum as the substantive National Chairman.

Damagum first assumed the role in an acting capacity in March 2023 following the suspension of the former chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

The zoning of the presidential ticket has been a deeply contentious issue within Nigerian politics.

The current president, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC)—who is from the South—has already been adopted as the ruling party’s candidate for 2027.

This PDP decision marks a shift from its approach in the 2023 election, where the ticket was thrown open, leading to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a northerner, emerging as the candidate.

That move created internal strife, most notably from former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who subsequently supported Tinubu.

Now serving as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wike had previously warned that zoning the 2027 ticket to the North would be a strategic failure.

He argued that it would be unwise for the PDP to select a northern candidate if the APC’s Tinubu, a southerner, is running for re-election.

In a media briefing last May, Wike cautioned against repeating the 2023 strategy, stating, “This smartness will not help you… This is not the time to send the presidency to the North.”

He further attributed such maneuvering to political selfishness, questioning the party’s long-term plan once the APC potentially zones its ticket to the North in 2031.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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