The founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party have called for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to be allocated to the South.
Speaking on behalf of the group during the Consultative Conference of PDP Founding Fathers and Stakeholders held on Wednesday at the NAF Conference Hall in Kado, Abuja, under the theme ‘Reclaiming Our Legacy, Renewing Our Collective Vision’, former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Professor Jerry Gana, stated that zoning the ticket to the South would help secure victory in the 2027 presidential election.
He stated, “In tune with this patriotic wisdom of the founding fathers, we urge all our leaders to support the strategy of bringing out our presidential candidate for 2027 from the southern states. Such a strategy will not only ensure victory at the polls, but promote justice, fairness and equity.
We appeal to all our leaders to agree at the NEC meeting on Thursday, to convene the National Convention of our great Party, so that we can elect a fresh set of Party Officers, for the next four years.
“From our renewed foundation, we should conduct a fair process to produce our Presidential candidate for the 2027 presidential elections. We should present to Nigerians not just a candidate, but a visionary leader – a tested and trusted patriot, a proven solution-provider, with a huge capacity and character to rescue Nigeria.
“We must also ensure a transparent and credible national convention that will set a gold standard for internal party democracy.
“The convention must be transparent, accountable, and reflective of our democratic ideals. No more backroom deals or impositions. Delegates should freely elect a new National Working Committee of men and of proven integrity, competence, and unwavering loyalty to the ideals of PDP .
Gana stated that the new NWC should serve as the driving force behind the rebuilding, repositioning, and revival of the PDP.
He further stressed the importance of the party’s leadership prioritizing the empowerment of the next generation.
The PDP founding fathers, according to Gana, said, “We reaffirm our commitment to youth inclusion and generational equity, which is very crucial. The PDP must deliberately open the space for younger Nigerians; brilliant, energetic and innovative minds should be allowed to participate actively as leaders within our party structures and as candidates at all levels in the 2027 general elections.
“Their ideas, energy and digital fluency are essential for building the Nigeria we all deserve. Our 2027 electoral strategy must elevate young leaders with fresh ideas and proven commitment.
We should deliberately mainstream youth and women into our party’s core leadership structure, ensuring that their voices are heard and their contributions are highly valued.”
Also at the event, Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; acting National Chairman, PDP, Umar Damagum; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; PDP Board of Trustees Secretary, Ahmed Makarfi; and other key party leaders criticised recent defections, maintaining that the PDP remained a strong and credible political force for the 2027 election.
The PDP leaders described the defectors as “nomadic politicians.”
Prominent figures who recently defected to the African Democratic Congress-led opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, and former presidential aspirant Dele Momodu.
Additionally, some moved from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress, including Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno; Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; and the party’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, among others.
Bauchi State Governor Mohammed slammed the defectors, and expressed disappointment over their decision to abandon a stronger platform for one without a solid foundation, asserting that the PDP would prove them wrong.
The Chairman, PDP Governors Forum, stated, “If somebody wants to leave PDP to go to another place, how is this smart in thought and in thinking? Because the PDP has history, a legacy, a structure everywhere and the governors are doing their best.
“But because we are being hunted and we know what we are going through, it is not for us to be cowardly and be talking about it. Yes, politics is local. Some may go due to certain reasons, certain permutations, calculations but I think they will be proved wrong.
“Even our elders that have gone we don’t want to diminish them, we don’t want to denigrate or abuse them. We are telling them with humility: come back. That’s what the national chairman has said — come back. This is what you have built. Where there are governors, where there are senators, members of the Houses, speakers, offices, local government chairmen, you are goingto a party that has no office. It’s a malady.
“We reason with them. Maybe in terms of their own calculation, they want to actualise their aspirations — to get tickets. But do you want to get a ticket and lose? So, please, come back. You have no reason to go anywhere.”
Mohammed said all PDP governors were providing effective governance in their respective states.
“But certainly, as the chairman has said, we cannot take indiscipline to a level where it becomes contagious. If you are in PDP, you are in PDP. You cannot be in PDP and be in coalition with another party. We cannot do this. But you have all the time to decide. Coalition is an aberration, yes, I said it.
“You cannot belong to two places. You cannot be an Aphrodite. You cannot be a man and a woman at the same time. Be who you will be. But we will still give you the opportunity to have a thought, because you are our leaders.
“But if you are going, don’t demarket us; demarketing of the PDP is not fair. Most of you actualised your political aspirations through this party. Some of them left us and caused our loss in 2015, and yet we accommodated them. And they left and came back. Some of them became governors, and some of them took tickets, just sprayed. It is only in PDP you get that.
“Sadly, we still respect them but they should respect us too. We are not afraid of anybody in politics.”
Makarfi, in his remarks, expressed doubts over the success of the coalition, stating that the entire ADC structure would be too difficult for the defectors to manage.
He stated, “What we are against is a coalition that cannot work. We are saying that the PDP is the leading party — the leading opposition party. Any such coalition should be under the leadership of our party. That is what Nigerians want to hear. And that is the difference in language.
Why is that one not going to work? They are our friends — they will come back. You see, we had internal issues, not because we hate each other. It had to do with the office of the national secretary. It involved legal issues and INEC regulatory matters. And it’s now resolved.
“But the issue in the ADC involves the entire structure across the country. It is not just about one position — it’s the entire national structure we’re talking about. I took the liberty, just to know where I stood in my state, to request the certified true copy of the leadership structure and it was given to me officially. It was clear that their tenure will expire in May 2026. So, if someone has given you a structure now, which structure? What structure?”
The former Governor of Kaduna State stated that many of those who left the PDP were likely to return after the ADC held its convention.
He added, “You see the legal mess people are walking into. I am confident that by the time we conduct a very successful national convention and do the needful, the overwhelming majority of those who left will return. Not only will the majority return, we will also attract new members from other parties who will join the PDP.
“The BoT shares these views. It is even illegal to belong to two political parties. When the PDP started, it didn’t have a single councillor — not to mention a chairman or a President. It was built from the scratch.
“So, we can rebuild the PDP. No matter anyone’s position, it is more honourable — if you want to stay, stay. If you want to go, go. We’re not saying people should go. We want them to stay. But it is better if people make up their minds about where they stand. We will rise. We will fly. And God willing, the PDP will become stronger than it ever was in the past.”
Earlier, Damagum reminded party members that the founding fathers upheld democratic values during a period when doing so was neither popular nor safe.
He noted that despite facing intimidation, harassment, and in some instances, detention, they remained committed to their principles, prioritising conviction over personal comfort or convenience.
Commenting on the move by some founding members to join another party under the guise of coalition, Damagum stated, “In 2013, we witnessed one of such fractures that shook us to our very core. A group of party leaders walked away from our party, seeking new alliances. Today, we witness yet another. But history reminds us that splinters may form, but they do not define the tree. Movements built on political expediency, collapse when confronted by lasting values.
Punch