Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has stressed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must prioritize presenting a southern Christian as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Mohammed argued that the party should avoid the “mistake” made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election when it opted for a same-faith ticket.
“What I want to say is we have not absolutely chosen or narrowed down on any person. Everybody should know that PDP is open,” he explained.
According to him, the PDP’s openness means the responsibility rests on the South to present a strong candidate. He stressed that balance and diversity must guide the choice.
“It’s open in a manner that it is for the southerners to bring somebody, and I said with all humility, we don’t want to make the mistake of the APC,” Mohammed said.
“We need a Christian from the South to emerge as a presidential candidate, so that he will lead the majority of Christian southerners to come and pick the majority Muslim vice president in the North, not to put ourselves in a cul de sac the way the APC did in 2023, where they picked a minority from the South, and they had had to take a majority person from the North which brought the issue of the Muslim-Muslim, which did not take into cognisance our diversity and our different people’s feelings because we have not really reached a stage where we don’t take consideration of all these factors,” he added.
Denies Makinde-Mohammed Ticket
The Bauchi governor also dismissed speculation that the PDP was working on a ticket that would have Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as the presidential flagbearer with him (Mohammed) as running mate.
“No, that’s not what we are planning. You see, I have learnt this thing because I have worked closely with the president when I was the minister of the FCT, when we came back in 2011 and formed a government.
“The president must be given the opportunity to choose his vice. I am not withdrawing because I want to prepare myself for the vice presidency.
“Of course, if it is within the sense of judgment of our party leaders and the presidential candidate to choose me, I’m ready, but certainly if I’m not given, I have said it to the public today, I’m ready to give whoever the party or the presidential candidate would emerge from the South to bring somebody if he is better than me,” Mohammed stated.
President Bola Tinubu of the APC had selected Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, as his running mate for the 2023 election, a decision that drew significant criticism. Many Nigerians objected to the Muslim-Muslim ticket, with Tinubu from the South and Shettima from the North, both sharing the same faith.
The PDP has already zoned its presidential ticket to the South, but Mohammed’s comments underline the party’s desire to ensure that its choice reflects the country’s religious and cultural diversity.
What you should know
Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State, is one of the prominent northern voices in the PDP.
His latest remarks highlight the party’s strategy ahead of the 2027 presidential race: balancing regional and religious representation to appeal to Nigeria’s diverse electorate.
By insisting on a southern Christian candidate, Mohammed signals the PDP’s attempt to distinguish itself from the APC’s controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023.
