PDP Holds NEC Meeting, Zones 2027 Presidential Ticket to South

The 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ended with key resolutions, including the zoning of the party’s 2027 Presidential ticket to Southern region of Nigeria and the confirmation of Ambassador Iliya Umar Damagum as the substantive National Chairman of the party.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting on Monday, NEC approved the report of its National Convention Zoning Committee, which recommended that all national offices currently held by the North should remain in the North, while those in the South should remain in the South. 

By implication, the presidency for 2027 has been ceded to the South, since the National Chairmanship remains with the North.

The meeting, which reviewed the state of the party ahead of its elective national convention scheduled for Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, 

acknowledged the efforts and commitment of the PDP Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees, the National Working Committee, and other critical organs towards the success of the forthcoming convention.

On constitutional reforms, NEC received updates from the PDP Constitution Amendment Committee and directed it to circulate a draft amendment to organs and chapters of the party for further input.

The meeting also used the opportunity to condemn what it described as “state capture” by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing it of intimidation, inducement, and militarization of recent bye-elections in Kaduna, Taraba, and Zamfara States, and warned that the actions of the APC posed a grave danger to Nigeria’s democracy and risked turning the country into a one-party state.

“NEC particularly expressed dismay at the deployment of excessive security agencies in Kaura Namoda South State Constituency of Zamfara State, where a run-off election in only five polling units was heavily militarized,” the communiqué added.

Reaffirming its readiness to defend democracy, PDP assured Nigerians that it remained committed to safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of citizens while intensifying efforts to reclaim power in 2027.

The next NEC meeting has been scheduled for October 15, 2025.

The communiqué was signed by Hon. Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary of the party.