2027: Common sense dictates power should remain in south till 2031 — PDP NWC Member

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – A member of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the People’s Democratic Party, Okechukwu Osuoha, has backed the decision by the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, insisting that ‘common sense’ and Nigeria’s long-standing power-sharing arrangement support the move.

The debate over zoning has returned to the centre of Nigeria’s political calculations ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with parties under pressure to balance constitutional rights, regional expectations and the fragile North-South rotation principle that has shaped presidential politics since 1999.

Reacting to the NDC’s position, Osuoha, who is the National Auditor of the PDP, said although Nigeria’s Constitution does not expressly provide for zoning, the PDP constitution recognises it as part of the party’s internal balancing arrangement.

“But you know what has been the understanding in Nigeria, whether it is written into law or not.

“Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, as amended, did not provide for zoning. It provided for free and equal participation. But the PDP constitution provides for zoning. There is zoning in the PDP constitution. It says that whenever the chairman of the party comes from the North, the presidency should go to the South, and vice versa,” Osuoha told Vanguard.

He said the idea of rotating power between the North and South had gradually evolved into an informal political consensus aimed at maintaining balance and national stability.

“So maybe that is the understanding (within the NDC) too. That is why I say it may not have been formally written, but there has always been a kind of understanding between the North and the South that when power stays in the North for eight years, it should rotate to the South, and when it stays in the South for eight years, it should return to the North,” he said.

Osuoha argued that the South should retain the presidency after the North completed eight years in power under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“So when Buhari was president, he spent eight years in office. Common sense, therefore, dictates that power should remain in the South for another eight years. That is why, if you see any political party zoning its presidential ticket to the South, it is in line with that understanding,” he explained. 

Osuoha said both the NDC and the PDP were towing that line, while the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, had effectively taken the same path by backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for another term.

“That is why you see both the NDC and the PDP towing that line. The APC, which is the ruling party, has also effectively zoned its presidency by endorsing the incumbent president, who is still eligible to contest. That means everyone is looking to the South for the next president to emerge, in line with the understanding that power stayed in the North for eight years and should now remain in the South,” he said. 

Osuoha argued that zoning remained important for fairness, inclusion and political stability in a country as diverse as Nigeria.

He said, “That is the point. It promotes equity and fairness. It also encourages peace and harmony because when people are given what they believe is their fair share, it reduces tension and disaffection.

“So, in my view, it is perfectly in order for any political party to zone its presidential ticket to the South at this time because, as things stand now, power is already in the South.”

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