The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has zoned its presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria for the 2027 general election. The decision was announced on Saturday during the party's national convention held at the Los Angeles Event Centre, Ahmadu Bello Way, Abuja. Delegates resolved that the presidential candidate must come from the South for a single four-year term ending in 2031. "On the principles of power sharing and the rotational arrangement of the highest office in the land between the northern and southern parts of the country," the party stated. "Therefore, be it resolved by this convention mandating southern zoning in 2027 that the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) hereby zones its presidential ticket for the 2027 presidential elections to Southern Nigeria for a single term of four years ending in 2031," it said. After the term ends, the party said the ticket will rotate to Northern Nigeria. The move comes amid ongoing discussions among new political parties about candidate selection and regional representation. Former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso recently stated that his new party has not zoned its presidential ticket to any region. Mr Kwankwaso also said the party would decide whether he would run as presidential candidate or as running mate to Peter Obi in 2027.
The NDC insists on rotational zoning while locking the 2027 ticket to the South, making the rotation automatic only after 2031. This single-term limit for the South means Northern Nigeria will not have a chance to contest within that cycle. The party's own rule creates a delay in rotation, contradicting the principle of equal regional opportunity it claims to uphold. Named Nigerians in Northern Nigeria may find their 2027 presidential ambitions excluded by design.
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