The decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South while retaining the National Chairmanship in the North has continued to generate reactions across the political landscape.
For allies of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, the development represents a vindication of his stance alongside the G-5 governors in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
Speaking on Monday, the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said the NEC’s resolution showed that Wike and the G-5 were right all along.
“Now that the party has realised its mistake of not listening to Wike and the G-5 in 2022, and has chosen to do what they said three years after, have they not been vindicated?” Olayinka asked.
He recalled that Wike and the G-5 had insisted that the presidential candidate and National Chairman should not emerge from the same zone. With Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner, clinching the presidential ticket in 2022, they demanded the resignation of then National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, also from the North. Their calls were ignored, deepening internal divisions within the PDP.
According to Olayinka, the party’s refusal to heed that advice contributed to its defeat in the 2023 elections. “Wike simply said, take the chairmanship to the South if you want to gain the presidency. But they said no, they must take the two, and the PDP lost! They have now realised the mistake they made in 2022 and are correcting it in 2025. But is it not too late already?” he stated.
Political analysts have also weighed in on the NEC’s decision. Some see it as a belated but necessary move to restore balance and fairness within the party ahead of 2027. Others argue that the PDP faces an uphill task rebuilding trust among its members and the electorate after years of internal wrangling.
Party insiders who spoke on condition of anonymity admitted that the NEC’s zoning decision was partly informed by lessons learned from the 2023 electoral misfortunes. “We cannot afford another round of division in 2027,” one senior party member said.
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