The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) choice to zone its presidential ticket to the South while retaining the national chairmanship in the North has been described as clear vindication of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
This position was emphasized by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, in a statement on Monday.
Olayinka argued that the party’s refusal to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the South was the reason behind its failure in that election. He explained that the PDP is now doing what Wike and the G-5 had demanded years earlier, though belatedly.
“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 later, have they not been vindicated now?” Olayinka remarked.
He recalled that both Wike and the G-5 consistently maintained that the presidential candidate and the national chairman of the PDP could not come from the same region. According to him, once Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from the North, secured the presidential ticket, then-Senator Iyorchia Ayu, also from the North, should have stepped aside for a chairman from the South.
However, Ayu refused to resign, a decision that had the backing of Atiku and his allies. Olayinka said this insistence led to the party’s loss in the 2023 election and the instability that followed.
The aide noted that the PDP’s current move proves Wike’s earlier warnings right, though it may have come too late to change much. He said, “Has PDP not come back to eat its own vomit? Sadly, they know the truth. 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 realised the mistake they made in 2022 and are correcting it in 2025. But is it not too late already, bearing in mind that the only way the zoning can be justified is for the South to conclude its eight years, while the presidency returns to the North in 2031?”
Meanwhile, the PDP has formally zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, while confirming that the chairmanship position will remain in the North. This decision was sealed during the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Monday.
At the meeting, the NEC also ratified Umar Damagum as the party’s substantive national chairman. Damagum had initially stepped in as acting chairman in March 2023 after Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s suspension, a decision that was later upheld by a court. Before this role, Damagum was the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North).
What you should know
The PDP’s decision reflects a significant internal correction after its 2023 electoral defeat. By zoning the presidential ticket to the South and maintaining the chairmanship in the North, the party is aligning with the power-sharing formula championed by Wike and the G-5.
However, critics argue the move may be too late to undo past damage, as it only reinforces the validity of warnings ignored in 2022.
This new zoning strategy could reshape the PDP’s chances in 2027, though questions remain about unity, timing, and its ability to rebuild trust among members and voters.
