2027: Labour Party zones Presidential ticket to South

As preparations begin ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Labour Party (LP) has announced that its presidential ticket will be zoned to the southern region of the country.

The disclosure was made by the party’s National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Nenadi Usman, during an interaction with journalists on the sidelines of a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja on Tuesday.

“We have one certain decision that we have taken, and that is that we will certainly not field any aspirant from Northern Nigeria. We have zoned the position to southern Nigeria,” Usman said.

She made it clear that the party would not accept any presidential aspirant from the North.

“So if any northerner comes now to want to contest elections, we certainly will not accept that.”

Usman, however, declined to mention any potential candidate, stressing that the party would follow due democratic process in selecting its flagbearer.

“As for who, I can’t tell you now because then it won’t be democratic anymore. Whoever the people like and vote for during the primaries… could be the candidate,” the former minister of finance said.

Speaking further, she referenced a recent court ruling involving the party, stating, “To God be the glory, the case was thrown out because it lacked merit,” and added that the judge “stood on truth”.

She also hinted at the possibility of adjusting the timetable for the party’s congresses due to an increase in membership, warning that sticking to the current schedule could exclude many members.

“If we go ahead to stick to that date, to my mind, we are going to disenfranchise quite a number of people,” Usman said.

Although zoning is not recognised in Nigeria’s constitution, it is often adopted by political parties to promote fairness and balance. The decision mirrors what played out during the last general election, when some major parties zoned their presidential tickets to the South.

During the 2023 elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party both presented southern candidates, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) left its ticket open. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the PDP candidate, Peter Obi flew the LP flag, while Bola Tinubu represented the APC.

Tinubu was eventually declared winner of the closely contested poll, with Atiku finishing second and Obi coming third.