Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deliberately zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South to avoid repeating what he described as the costly mistakes of the last election.
He stressed that only a southern Christian candidate can give the party the required balance against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Mohammed, who chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum, linked the opposition party’s defeat in 2023 to its decision to throw the ticket open, which led to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerging as flag bearer.
He argued that the fallout from that move, especially the rebellion of the G-5 governors led by Nyesom Wike, fractured the PDP and ultimately cost it the presidency.
“Life is always a learning process. When we did it [throwing the ticket open] in 2023, it was not a pleasant experience, and that was why we lost,” Mohammed said.
“The presidency is a consensus phenomenon. You cannot impose yourself on anybody or any group.”
He explained that the decision to zone the ticket southwards was not just about fairness but also about electoral strategy.
According to him, the PDP must present a Christian candidate from the South to galvanise support in the region and pair with a northern Muslim running mate, thereby countering what he called the APC’s divisive Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023.
“We need a Christian from the South to emerge as a presidential candidate, so that he will lead the majority of Christian southerners to come and pick the majority Muslim vice president in the North, not to put ourselves in a cul de sac the way the APC did,” Muhammed said.
Mohammed dismissed speculation that the PDP was considering fielding Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, as presidential candidate with him as running mate. He insisted that the choice of a vice president should be left to the eventual flag bearer.
“No, that’s not what we are planning. The president must be given the opportunity to choose his vice. I am not withdrawing because I want to prepare myself for the vice presidency,” he clarified.
“If the party or the candidate chooses me, I am ready, but certainly if I’m not given, I’m prepared to support whoever emerges.”
The Bauchi governor argued that the PDP’s zoning decision strengthens its chances in 2027, noting that President Bola Tinubu, who hails from the South-West, would likely seek re-election, and the opposition must field “somebody strong or stronger than him from the South to give him a fight for his life.”
