The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticized Nigeria’s two leading parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for beginning discussions on zoning their 2027 presidential tickets more than two years ahead of the general election.

Speaking Tuesday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi said the early zoning decisions show that both APC and PDP are more focused on power politics than addressing the pressing needs of Nigerians.

“The general election is still two years away,” Abdullahi said.

“Why are we already fixated on zoning and candidates? This behavior signals to Nigerians that the political elite doesn’t care about their problems.”

At its National Executive Council meeting on Monday, the PDP zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, while retaining the party chairmanship in the North.

In May, 22 APC governors and party leaders endorsed President Bola Tinubu, a southerner, as the ruling party’s sole candidate for 2027.

Both parties have cited Nigeria’s informal power rotation arrangement between the North and South to justify their early moves.

But the ADC, now a growing opposition coalition including figures like Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and Rotimi Amaechi, sees the early zoning as a political ploy.

“They know the implications of showing their hand this early,” Abdullahi argued. “It either means the outcome is predetermined or they’re maneuvering to attract certain individuals as candidates.”

Abdullahi rejected claims that the ADC coalition is backing a specific individual, noting that several credible figures have indicated interest in running for president on the party’s platform.

“Just yesterday, Atiku Abubakar declared he’s running again. If the coalition was formed solely for him, he wouldn’t need to make such a declaration,” Abdullahi said.

“We also have Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and others, all of whom will be given equal consideration.”

A photo from a July 2 coalition meeting in Abuja showed prominent figures including Obi, Atiku, Rauf Aregbesola, David Mark, and Ralph Nwosu in attendance.

Abdullahi maintained that the ADC isn’t under pressure to zone its 2027 ticket yet and is more focused on building grassroots support and strengthening its internal structure.

“We’re not playing the same game as the APC and PDP. Our priority is convincing Nigerians that we offer a credible alternative to the status quo,” he said.

He added that discussions around zoning would happen at the appropriate time.

“For now, zoning is not on our agenda. The coalition only moved into the ADC two months ago. Our focus is on building structures and mobilising support, not premature politicking.”

Abdullahi concluded by positioning the ADC as Nigeria’s true opposition force: “Right now, there are only two political entities that matter, the ruling APC and the opposition ADC.”

The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South has been described as a validation of earlier positions held by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and the G-5 group of governors.

This is according to Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.

In a statement released on Monday, Olayinka said the PDP’s failure to adopt this zoning arrangement in 2023 contributed significantly to its loss at the polls.

“Now that the party has accepted what Wike and the G-5 advocated for in 2022, that the presidency should be zoned to the South if the party chairman is from the North, it is clear they were right all along,” he said.

Olayinka recalled that during the 2023 presidential election cycle, Wike and the G-5 had strongly opposed the concentration of both the presidential ticket and the national chairmanship in the North.

Despite their calls for Senator Iyorchia Ayu to step down following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate, the leadership of the party refused.

“Ayu, with Atiku’s support, refused to resign, and this led to the division within the PDP. The party paid for that decision with electoral defeat and internal crisis,” he added.

While acknowledging that the party’s new position was a welcome correction, Olayinka questioned whether the move had come too late.

“They have now done what they refused to do in 2022. But the damage may already have been done. Wike had warned that power sharing was key to unity and success,” he said.

He also noted that any talk of true zoning would only make sense if the South is allowed to complete an eight-year presidential cycle, after which power could return to the North in 2031.

On Monday, the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) announced that the 2027 presidential ticket would be zoned to the South, while the national chairmanship would remain in the North.

The party also confirmed Umar Damagum as its substantive National Chairman.

Damagum had served as acting chairman since March 2023 following the court-backed suspension of Senator Ayu. Prior to that, he was the PDP Deputy Chairman (North).

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has hailed what he described as a major political realignment following the reported merger of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) structure in Kaduna with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

According to a statement from the coalition’s Publicity Secretary, Darius Kurah, the alleged merger was announced at a strategic coalition meeting on Saturday, August 23, 2025, chaired by El-Rufai and attended by political stakeholders from multiple parties.

The statement claimed that the entire Kaduna SDP structure had collapsed into the ADC as part of efforts to build a stronger opposition ahead of upcoming elections.

Attendees included ADC North-West Chairman, Ja’afar Sani, Kaduna ADC Chairman, Patrick Ambut, former commissioners, SDP working committee members, and PDP representatives.

In his remarks, El-Rufai praised the move as an act of unity and vision:

“What we are witnessing is not just an alliance of party structures, but a unity of purpose. Kaduna needs leaders who can put aside narrow interests and unite to offer credible, people-focused governance.”

The ADC leadership echoed the sentiment, describing the development as a “new dawn” for politics in the state.

However, the Kaduna State chapter of the SDP has strongly denied El-Rufai’s claims. In a swift rebuttal issued on Monday, SDP State Chairman Adamu Idris dismissed the alleged merger as “spurious, misleading, and politically mischievous.”

Idris insisted that the party’s structure in Kaduna remains intact and has no plans to merge with the ADC or any coalition fronted by El-Rufai.

“These are impostors masquerading as SDP members to curry favour with El-Rufai. They do not represent our party and have no mandate to speak on its behalf,” he said.

He further accused El-Rufai of attempting to sow division within the party for personal political advantage, adding that the former governor’s brief involvement with the SDP had only led to internal strife.

“Since his exit, peace has returned, and the party has been repositioned as a credible voice for democracy and good governance,” Idris asserted.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has strongly criticized the party’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, calling it a “big error” that could jeopardize the party’s chances in the next general election.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today shortly after the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, Olawepo-Hashim warned that the zoning decision might inadvertently serve as an endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

“Zoning the presidency to the South is a default campaign for the return of President Bola Tinubu. Those behind this move claim to be in PDP but are working for Tinubu,” he alleged.

While acknowledging that the zoning decision was reached democratically by a majority vote, he said it was a strategic miscalculation that could weaken the PDP’s competitiveness in 2027.

Olawepo-Hashim argued that the PDP had never formally restricted any region from contesting the presidency in past elections.

He cited past primaries where multiple aspirants from different zones vied for the party’s ticket:

In 1999, General Olusegun Obasanjo ran against northern candidates like Alhaji Rimi and Alex Ekwueme.

In 2003, Obasanjo again contested the party’s ticket against Chief Barnabas Gemade (Benue) and Alhaji Rimi (Kano).

“The PDP has always allowed open competition. This zoning decision breaks from that tradition,” he noted.

Olawepo-Hashim also raised legal concerns, warning that the decision may trigger a constitutional crisis.

He argued that Nigeria’s Constitution does not permit discrimination against party members based on geographic origin when it comes to contesting elective offices.

“The constitution guarantees every Nigerian equal right to participate. This zoning move could violate that principle,” he said.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has confirmed Ambassador Umar Damagum as the party’s substantive National Chairman, officially ratifying his leadership during the committee’s 102nd meeting held in Abuja on Monday.

Damagum had been serving as acting chairman since March 2023 following the suspension of former chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu, a decision that was later upheld by the court.

Before assuming the acting role, Damagum held the position of Deputy National Chairman (North).

His confirmation came after the NEC temporarily paused the session to allow for a formal swearing-in ceremony, which was conducted by the party’s National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade.

In his acceptance speech, Damagum expressed gratitude to his colleagues in the National Working Committee (NWC) for their support and collaboration over the past two years.

He also thanked the NEC for recognizing his efforts toward repositioning and stabilizing the party.

“I sincerely appreciate the confidence reposed in me. The work has been challenging, but the unity within the party leadership has made progress possible,” he said.

A communiqué released after the meeting praised the Damagum-led NWC for its role in maintaining party cohesion and steering the PDP through a critical post-election period.

“NEC hereby ratifies and confirms the appointment of Umar Damagum as the substantive National Chairman of the party with effect from today, Monday, August 25, 2025,” the document stated.

His tenure will continue until the PDP’s national elective convention, scheduled to take place in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15–16, 2025.