The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) has zoned its presidential ticket for the 2027 election to southern Nigeria, a decision widely seen as strengthening the prospects of Peter Obi emerging as the party’s standard-bearer.
The announcement was made on Saturday during the party’s national convention in Abuja, where senior party figures gathered to map out strategy ahead of the next general election.
In a post on its official X account, the party declared: “NDC Presidential ticket is zoned to the South!!”
The convention was attended by Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, whose recent defection to the NDC has intensified speculation over a broader opposition coalition aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
According to the convention agenda circulated to journalists, delegates were expected to deliberate on zoning arrangements, ratification of amendments to the party constitution and the election of national executives.
The NDC has experienced a surge of defections in recent weeks, drawing politicians from rival opposition parties including the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, 17 members of the House of Representatives formally defected from the ADC to the NDC during plenary, further boosting the party’s growing presence in the national assembly.
Among the lawmakers who switched allegiance were Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Thaddeus Attah, Lilian Orogbu and Afam Ogene.
The defections followed the formal entry of Obi and Kwankwaso into the NDC two days earlier. Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, and Kwankwaso, who contested under the banner of the New Nigeria People’s Party, received their membership cards after a closed-door meeting with party leaders on Sunday.
They were welcomed into the party by former Bayelsa State governor and NDC national leader Seriake Dickson.
Obi had previously blamed worsening internal divisions, external interference and growing hostility within party structures for his departure from the ADC, which he joined in December 2025 after leaving the Labour Party.
The NDC’s decision to zone its ticket southwards is likely to sharpen calculations within Nigeria’s opposition landscape, where alliances and defections are increasingly reshaping the battle for 2027.
