The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, while confirming Umar Damagum as national chairman from the North.
EKO HOT BLOG observes that the decision, taken at the party’s 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, restores a delicate balance that was a longstanding PDP tradition before the 2023 elections.
EDITOR’S PICKS
At face value, this is an attempt at internal correction: the party is acknowledging past missteps and returning to its familiar rotation of power between North and South.
Yet the timing of the move raises critical questions: has the PDP learned its lesson in time to rebuild for 2027, or has the damage already been done?
The 2023 Miscalculation
In the run-up to the 2023 general election, the PDP abandoned its long-standing zoning formula. The chairmanship had been zoned to the North, but instead of zoning the presidential ticket to the South in line with precedent, the party threw the contest open. This ultimately produced Atiku Abubakar, a northerner, as candidate. That decision set off a chain reaction.
Several influential governors, later dubbed the “G5,” openly rebelled, insisting that it was unfair for both the national chairman and the presidential candidate to come from the North at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari, another northerner, was just concluding eight years in office. The crisis fractured the PDP’s campaign structure, weakened party unity, and gave room for cross-party alliances. Some governors tacitly or directly worked for the eventual winner, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC, undermining PDP’s chances at the polls.
The outcome was predictable: the PDP lost the election, not just at the presidential level but also in its ability to present itself as a united opposition capable of unseating the ruling party.
Correcting Course
Two years later, the NEC appears determined to avoid a repeat of that blunder. The confirmation of Umar Damagum as chairman secures the chairmanship for the North, and the communique explicitly states that the presidential ticket has now been zoned to the South.
The zoning committee, led by Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri, further ensured that National Working Committee positions were balanced across North and South, while leaving micro-zoning decisions to the regions.
This arrangement effectively reinstates the PDP’s traditional rotation principle and sends a message of fairness, at least within the party’s internal politics. It also creates a more predictable playing field ahead of the November 2025 convention in Ibadan, where a new National Working Committee will emerge.
Too Little, Too Late?
The challenge, however, is whether this correction has come too late to reverse the consequences of 2023. The PDP has already ceded power for another cycle and is struggling to hold onto relevance as the dominant opposition party. Many of its traditional bases of support, particularly in the South, were weakened by its 2023 decisions.
Since then, the PDP has lost lawmakers in several states and governors in Akwa Ibom and Delta States, with some reports indicating more might quit the party. The party’s presidential candidate in 2023 has also quit the party to pursue his ambition elsewhere. Atiku, who recently resigned from the PDP, joined some opposition bigwigs, including his former running mate and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, in July to adopt the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the mega coalition to take on the ruling APC in 2027.
But by zoning the ticket to the South now, the PDP may hope to win back disenchanted southern leaders and voters who felt sidelined two years earlier. But regaining lost trust will require more than zoning, it will require a credible southern candidate who can galvanise support beyond their regional bases, build bridges to the North, and compete effectively against an incumbent APC government.
Moreover, internal divisions still linger. The zoning decision may address one fault line, but the question of who emerges as candidate could reopen old wounds. If the PDP mishandles the process again, the symbolism of zoning may not prevent another internal revolt.
Who Might Fly the PDP Flag in 2027?
With the ticket now formally zoned to the South, attention naturally shifts to who might emerge as the PDP’s presidential candidate. Several names are already circulating. Some party leaders have floated the possibility of former President Goodluck Jonathan making a return. Constitutionally, Jonathan remains eligible to serve one additional four-year term, having completed the remainder of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s tenure and then a full term of his own before leaving office in 2015.
Another possible contender is Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. A member of the G5 that rebelled against the party in 2023, Makinde has hinted he may run for president in 2027.
FURTHER READING
Other names may soon surface with less than two years before the 2027 presidential election.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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