Leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Labour Party (LP) have indicated that the 2027 presidential ticket should come from Southern Nigeria, signaling a rare alignment on zoning ahead of next year’s elections.
In a move aimed at fostering national balance and inclusion, Middle Belt leaders in the ADC announced they would not field a presidential candidate, describing the decision as strategic rather than a retreat. Prince Pam Rwang, coordinator of the coalition behind the decision, said, “A major highlight of the conference was the strong emphasis on fairness and rotational leadership. Delegates observed that zoning and power rotation are already practised at state, local government and ward levels across the country, and should, therefore, be respected at the national, presidential level. The Middle Belt will not seek to lead from the front.”
The ADC resolution emerged from the Middle-Belt Cognac Strategy Conference, also known as the COPDEN/ADC Middle-Belt Strategy Conference, held in Jos, Plateau State. The conference, organised in collaboration with the Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEN), carried the theme, “Nigeria at Crossroads: Building the Green Coalition for 2027.”
According to the communiqué, the Middle Belt plans to play a “conscious, strategic and decisive political bloc” role, influencing national outcomes through alliances rather than direct contestation. “The presidential ticket of the ADC should be zoned to Southern Nigeria, in line with Nigeria’s established culture of balance and inclusion,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party has already confirmed a Southern ticket for 2027. Senator Esther Nenadi-Usman, chairman of the LP National Caretaker Committee, said the party would “certainly not field any aspirant from Northern Nigeria. We have zoned the position to Southern Nigeria. So if any northerner comes now to want to contest elections, we certainly will not accept that.”
She clarified that the decision would not pre-select any individual, leaving the choice to the party’s internal primaries. “As for who, I can’t tell you now because then it won’t be democratic anymore. When the aspirants come, whoever the people like and vote for during the primaries, then whoever it is that wins the primaries, then we put them in the position,” she said.
The announcement followed a legal victory for the party’s leadership. A High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, dismissed a suit challenging the LP National Caretaker Committee, with Nenadi-Usman praising the ruling: “To God be the glory, the case was thrown out. The court discovered that they had no locus standi. I believe the judge did very well by standing on truth and the case is now thrown out, so it is over.”
The LP chairman also highlighted upcoming party congresses, hinting at a possible adjustment to the timetable to accommodate an influx of new members. “If we go ahead to stick to that date, to my mind, we are going to disenfranchise quite a number of people. I think we should tinker with that date, sit together as a group and come up with a new date,” she said.
On security concerns, Nenadi-Usman confirmed that a petition had been filed over a recent breach of party property, noting confidence that the authorities would “bring to book all those who had a hand in what happened” to deter future incidents.
With both ADC and LP publicly supporting a Southern candidate, the stage is set for a coordinated push from the South, while the Middle Belt signals its role as a potential kingmaker in the 2027 elections.
