The polity had a fore-taste of what to expect in the 2027 presidential elections, yesterday, as the Peoples Democratic Party’s zoning of its presidential ticket to the South is raising dust.

Coming against the backdrop of President Bola Tinubu, another southerner, being backed by critical blocs of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to stand for re-election on the ruling party’s platform, it means any northerner vying for PDP or APC’s presidential flag is on his own.

Both the PDP and the APC have argued that their decisions aligned with the eight-year unwritten rule of power rotation between Northern and Southern Nigeria.

Piqued by the development, some northern stakeholders alleged marginalisation and vowed to speak against the move with their votes in 2027, warning that the PDP’s decision has further weakened its influence in the North.

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The National Executive Committee, NEC, of the PDP at its 102nd meeting in Abuja on Monday, resolved that the South should produce the next presidential candidate of the party.

Specifically, the Joint Action Committee of Northern Youth Associations, JACON, saw the PDP’s decision as unjust, undemocratic, and a betrayal of the North’s decades-long loyalty to the party.

North-Central political stakeholders also rejected the PDP’s 2027 zoning template, insisting that the region will not accept continued marginalisation in the nation’s civilian leadership arrangement since independence.

The Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement, GHSM, one of the groups backing Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim’s presidential ambition on the platform of the PDP, said zoning the party’s ticket to the South is unconstitutional and strategically dangerous. Olawepo-Hashim is from North-Central.

Leader of the Arewa Youth Assembly, Salihu Danlami, said PDP lost the North and its credibility when it abandoned its power rotation principle in 2023 to field former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, breaking what he described as a gentleman’s agreement.

Also, Abduljabbar Rufai, a PDP chieftain in Kano State said zoning the presidency to the South might affect PDP’s support in parts of the North but argued that the ruling APC could also lose votes if Atiku runs on another platform.

“Of course, zoning the presidency to the South may affect PDP’s chances in parts of the North. But the APC will also be affected, especially if Atiku contests under the ADC. At the end of the day, it will depend on who emerges as the candidate after the primaries next year,” Rufai added.

However, former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George, said PDP members opposing zoning of the presidential slot to the South were being selfish and manipulative.

In like manner, PDP Deputy National Legal Adviser, Mr Okechukwu Osuoha, hailed the zoning decision as a turning point that will unify the party and restore its credibility ahead of the 2027 elections.

Also, Mr. Austin Nwachukwu, Chairman of PDP State Chairmen Forum, said the zoning decision is binding on all members and no longer a subject of controversy, just as PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, strongly defended the zoning decision, insisting it is a strategic step to preserve unity and credibility in the party.

In spite of the angst in some northern quarters, Vanguard gathered that a host of northern leaders see ceding the presidency to the South for another four years as a necessity and were shopping for a credible and salable southern candidate to support. Those being eyed include former President Jonathan and Mr Peter Obi, among others.

Meanwhile, coalition-backed African Democratic Congress, ADC, has flayed the PDP and APC for taking a position on zoning their presidential tickets two years to the poll, which it claimed showed they don’t care about addressing the plights of Nigerians.