The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) has decided to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, while retaining the position of National Chairman in the North.
This move has been widely seen as a vindication of the position taken by the G-5 governors, led by current Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, during the 2023 general election cycle.
Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to Minister Wike, reacted to the decision, stating that the party has finally “realised its mistake of not listening to Wike and the G-5 in 2022.”
The core of the G-5’s demand in 2022 was that the PDP’s presidential candidate and its national chairman should not come from the same geopolitical zone. After Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a northerner, emerged as the presidential candidate, Wike and his allies insisted that then-National Chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu, also from the North, must resign. They argued this was necessary to create a sense of fairness and balance, and to give the party a stronger chance at winning the election.
However, Ayu refused to step down, with the backing of Atiku and his camp. This refusal led to a major internal crisis within the party, with the G-5 governors opting to campaign against the PDP’s presidential candidate. This internal strife is widely believed to have been a significant factor in the party’s electoral defeat in 2023.
With the PDP’s NEC now resolving to align the party’s zoning with the G-5’s initial demand, Olayinka questioned the timing. “Has PDP not come back to eat its own vomit?” he asked rhetorically.
Olayinka further highlighted that the party’s leadership is now correcting a mistake that cost them the 2023 election.
The move raises questions about the long-term implications for the party’s zoning formula.
Olayinka noted that for the new arrangement to be “justified,” a Southern presidency would need to complete an eight-year term, meaning the presidency would not return to the North until 2031. This delay could have further political consequences for the party.