…North kicks as ticket goes South, Middle Belt, others back move
By Ebiere Kekeboro
The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South has split the opposition party down the middle, igniting fresh tension across the North.
The National Executive Committee (NEC), at its 102nd meeting on Monday, sealed the fate of aspirants from the region by retaining its northern-led National Working Committee while shifting the presidential slot southward.
While party elders like former Senate President Bukola Saraki and ex-Minister Jerry Gana hailed the move as fair and consistent with PDP’s zoning tradition, several northern groups denounced it as “anti-democratic” and a betrayal of the region’s loyalty to the party.
President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, warned the decision could alienate northern voters and hand President Bola Tinubu an easy re-election. “By preemptively zoning the presidential ticket to the South, the PDP appears to be sidelining qualified northern aspirants,” he said.
From Kaduna, the Joint Action Committee of Northern Youth Associations described the zoning as a “monumental betrayal,” while the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) insisted it was a ploy to “shortchange the North.”
In Abuja, the North Central Renaissance Movement, led by Prof. K’tso Nghargbu, flatly rejected the arrangement, insisting that fairness demanded the presidency be ceded to the North Central, the only zone never to produce a President or Vice President.
But groups from the Middle Belt and parts of the North rallied behind the PDP’s decision. The Middle Belt Forum’s President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, defended the zoning as “fair and in line with PDP tradition,” while PDP chapters in Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara and Yobe States declared support, with some even pushing for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to return as the party’s flagbearer.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) urged caution, describing the zoning debate as “premature,” while analysts warned the move could either fracture the PDP or unite northern voters behind Tinubu.
Former Senate President Saraki argued that after eight years of Buhari, justice demanded the presidency move south, but PDP chieftain Yusuf Dingyadi dismissed the NEC’s decision as “unfortunate” and “ill-timed.”
As the 2027 race takes shape, the PDP’s zoning gamble appears set to either heal its internal wounds or deepen them — with the North holding the key to its survival.