Former presidential aspirant and media entrepreneur Dele Momodu has sharply criticised the zoning of presidential tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing it as a calculated strategy to weaken Nigeria’s opposition parties.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday, Momodu argued that zoning, while not backed by the constitution, is being manipulated to serve the interests of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu.
“There is nothing in the Nigerian Constitution that stops anyone, whether you are a northerner or a southerner, from contesting,” Momodu said.
He labelled the renewed zoning conversation as a “reward of blackmail” from forces working to suppress electoral competition, particularly against the incumbent.
“Because they know that if you zone all other parties to the South in the presidency, none of them will be able to beat Asiwaju (Tinubu),” he added.
Momodu urged political parties, especially the opposition, to reject restrictive zoning arrangements and open up their platforms for all regions.
“That is the strategy. That is why any right-thinking political party should throw its door open,” he stated.
Turning to his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Momodu lamented what he described as its complete capture by individuals loyal to the ruling party.
“PDP has been completely hijacked by agents of the ruling party who insist on staying in PDP while working for APC,” he said.
According to him, some members are keeping the PDP in a politically comatose state for future strategic use:
“PDP is at a dead end. Some people are desperate; they don’t want to kill it, but they want to keep it in the ICU… Everybody is now just using PDP as a cadaver room, a place where you keep bodies that are dead or kept in the ICU. It’s a shame, but I have left,” he added.
Momodu, who is now a chieftain of the opposition coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC), clarified that no individual, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has been offered a free pass to contest under the ADC platform.
“I don’t think ADC has promised to give an automatic ticket to anyone, including Atiku Abubakar. He is not the sole candidate of ADC,” he asserted.
The zoning debate was reignited after the PDP National Executive Council (NEC) met on August 25, resolving to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South while retaining the party chairmanship in the North.
The NEC also confirmed Umar Damagum as the PDP’s national chairman, following the earlier suspension of Senator Iyorchia Ayu in 2023.
While party leaders claim the zoning decision is meant to stabilise the PDP ahead of the next election cycle, critics, including Momodu, believe it could severely limit the party’s competitiveness against the APC, which has already endorsed President Tinubu for re-election in 2027.
Although the PDP has yet to announce a flagbearer, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, previously warned that zoning the ticket to the North would lead to failure.
