The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria for a single four-year term, while reserving the vice-presidential slot for the North. The decision was adopted at the party’s maiden national convention held at the Los Angeles Event Centre in Abuja, in what party leaders described as a major step toward building a national power-sharing formula ahead of the 2027 general election.
The motion was moved by Afam Victor Ogene, who represents Ogbaru Federal Constituency of Anambra State in the House of Representatives. Delegates unanimously approved the proposal that the presidency should rotate to the South in 2027 and return automatically to the North in 2031. Ogene said the arrangement was designed to promote equity, justice and national stability. “In recognition of our country’s diversity and the need for balance, the party has resolved that the presidency shall rotate to the South in 2027 for a single term and subsequently return to the North in 2031,” he said.
The decision is expected to strengthen the chances of southern aspirants, including former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who has been linked with the new opposition platform. Recent reports said Obi and former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had moved to the NDC after quitting an opposition coalition built around the African Democratic Congress. Reuters reported earlier this week that both men left the ADC alliance over internal disputes and legal uncertainty, weakening efforts to build a united opposition front against President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking at the convention, Obi said the movement was not driven by personal ambition or transactional politics, but by the need to build a platform capable of rescuing Nigeria from poverty, insecurity and poor governance. He warned that Nigeria must not drift into a one-party state and called for free, fair and credible elections in 2027.
Kwankwaso also backed the zoning arrangement, describing it as a courageous move toward fairness, national healing and inclusion.
Former Bayelsa State governor Seriake Dickson, described as a national leader of the party, said the NDC had survived years of legal and administrative hurdles before securing registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission. INEC’s list of registered parties now includes the Nigeria Democratic Congress, following its registration earlier this year. National Chairman Moses Cleopas said the convention marked the beginning of a broader political movement, not merely an electoral platform.
“Nigeria stands today at a very critical crossroads,” he said, adding that the NDC would focus on credible leadership, national unity and responsible governance.
