NDC 'Gives' 2027 Presidential Ticket to Southern Nigeria, Welcomes Obi, Kwankwaso

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has zoned the presidential ticket for 2027 to Southern Nigeria. NDC reached the decision at its national convention in Abuja on Saturday. “NDC presidential ticket is zoned to the South!!” the party wrote on its official handle. The party said the presidential ticket is for a single four-year term. It allocated the 2031 ticket to northern Nigeria. The development comes as the leadership of the party, including Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and others, is holding in Abuja for the national convention of the party. The convention is expected to rectify some of the recent decisions of the national executive committee of the NDC. According to the agenda made available to journalists, some of the issues on the table for discussion and resolution are zoning, ratification of the amended party constitution, and the election of national executives of the party The NDC recently witnessed an influx of politicians who defected from other political parties, including the ADC and the PDP. On Tuesday, no fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to NDC. Their defections were announced on the floor of the House during plenary. Lawmakers who defected to the NDC include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande, and Munachim Umezuruike. Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, Murphy Omoruyi, and Abdulhakeem Ado. The defections of the lawmakers to the NDC came two days after Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the party from the ADC. Obi, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and Kwankwaso, a former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), received the NDC membership cards last Sunday amid cheers from supporters, shortly after a closed-door meeting with leaders of the NDC. The two opposition leaders were welcomed into the NDC by a former Governor of Bayelsa State and national leader of the party, Senator Seriake Dickson. Obi had cited a worsening political climate marked by internal crises, external interference, and growing hostility within party structures as his reasons for leaving the ADC, which he joined from the Labour Party barely in December 2025. The former Anambra State governor described Nigeria’s political space as increasingly toxic, where intimidation, insecurity, and persistent scrutiny have become the norm. He lamented that systems meant to protect citizens now often work against them, while individuals striving for sincere service face mounting pressure both publicly and privately.