Reactions trail PDP’s zoning of presidential ticket to South

The People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South has continued to elicit sharp reactions from stakeholders in the North, who warn that the move, which has shut out politicians from the zone, could carry “grave political consequences” for the party. Rising from its 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) […]

The People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South has continued to elicit sharp reactions from stakeholders in the North, who warn that the move, which has shut out politicians from the zone, could carry “grave political consequences” for the party.

Rising from its 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at its national headquarters in Abuja on Monday, the party had resolved to zone its presidential ticket to the south while its chairmanship would be retained in the north.

But reacting yesterday, the Joint Action Committee of Northern Youth Associations (JACON) in Kaduna rejected the zoning arrangement, describing it as “anti-democratic, unjust, and a monumental betrayal” of the North, which it said had consistently supported the PDP since 1999.

“This decision is not only a grave affront to the principles of fairness and justice but also a monumental betrayal of the massive and unwavering support the North has given the PDP since the inception of the Fourth Republic,” said Ambassador Sanin Yaya, JACON’s director of media and public affairs.

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The group argued that while the PDP was in power for 16 years between 1999 and 2015, the North produced a president for only two and a half years, compared with the South’s 13 and a half years.

JACON vowed to mobilise its structures to resist the decision, warning that Northern support for the PDP should not be taken for granted. It also announced plans for an emergency meeting of its member associations to strategise on a collective response.

In Abuja, Prof K’tso Nghargbu, a political scholar and leader of the North Central stakeholders agitating for power shift to the region, warned that both the PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) risk electoral defeat in 2027 for shutting out the North.

Daily Trust reports that while the APC had in May adopted President Bola Tinubu as its sole candidate for the next election, the PDP followed on Monday with its decision to zone its ticket to the South, leaving the North without a clear path to the presidency.

“Any political party that will not zone its presidential ticket to the North, and particularly to the North Central, is risking not having the votes of the North Central people,” Nghargbu said.

He argued that the North Central, which has never produced a civilian president since independence in 1960, deserves consideration and has the capacity to clinch the presidency if given national consensus.

He predicted that if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fields a candidate from the North, particularly the North Central, the party could win the 2027 poll with bloc support from the region.

But in Lagos, former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, described the zoning decision as a welcome development, saying it marked the party’s return to “justice, fairness and equity.”

Speaking on Channels Television, George said the resolution ended years of internal manipulation and division within the opposition party.

“This existential imbecility has ended and that is the end of manipulation in our party,” he said. “It is refreshing now to see us come together as one indivisible party. We are going to get back.”

George, a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, said “What we re-established yesterday is justice, fairness, and equity. If you play the games, you follow the rules.”

“Now, those who have gone to ADC are beginning to see the light. Even some of them were at the last meeting, and I was happy. This is the PDP back on the right path,” he added.

 

By Saawua Terzungwe (Abuja), Mohammed Ibrahim Yaba (Kaduna) & Gbenga Adebayo (Lagos)