Former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has dismissed the zoning of presidential tickets ahead of the 2027 general election as a ploy to weaken opposition parties and entrench President Bola Tinubu’s advantage.
Speaking in a recent interview, Momodu described zoning as unconstitutional and manipulative, arguing that it was being weaponised to reduce competition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“There is nothing in the Nigerian Constitution that prevents anyone, North or South, from contesting the presidency,” he said. “This so-called zoning sentiment is blackmail, carefully designed to keep opposition parties down. If you force them to zone their tickets to the South, none will be strong enough to challenge Asiwaju (Tinubu). That is the strategy.”
Momodu urged political parties to keep their doors open, warning that adopting zoning only played into APC’s hands. “Once you tell everyone the seat is zoned, people will argue, ‘Tinubu is already our president, so why are we looking for another?’ It’s a trap for the opposition.”
On the state of the PDP, Momodu declared that the party had been “hijacked by APC agents” and was now incapable of rescuing itself.
“PDP has been reduced to a cadaver room — a place where a body is either dead or on life support. It’s a shame, but I have left. The party has been completely hijacked by those working for the APC while pretending to remain in PDP,” he said.
Now a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Momodu clarified that no presidential hopeful — including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar — had been promised an automatic ticket. “I don’t think ADC has given such guarantees. Atiku is not the sole candidate of the party.”
The zoning debate resurfaced after the PDP’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on August 25, where leaders resolved to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South while retaining the national chairmanship in the North.
The NEC also confirmed Umar Damagum as national chairman, following Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s suspension in March 2023.
Party leaders defended the move as a step toward stability. However, critics — including Momodu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike — argue that zoning could cripple PDP’s electoral chances against the APC, which has already endorsed President Tinubu for a second term in 2027.
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