2027: Labour Party bars northern aspirants, zones presidential ticket to south

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Labour Party (LP) has announced that its presidential ticket will be zoned to the southern region, effectively ruling out aspirants from Northern Nigeria.

The decision was disclosed by the party’s National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Nenadi Usman, during a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja on Tuesday.

“We have one certain decision that we have taken, and that is that we will certainly not field any aspirant from Northern Nigeria. We have zoned the position to southern Nigeria,” Usman said.

She was emphatic that the party would not entertain any deviation from the position.

“So if any northerner comes now to want to contest elections, we certainly will not accept that.”

Despite the zoning arrangement, Usman maintained that the party would still uphold internal democracy by allowing members to decide its eventual flagbearer through the primaries.

“As for who, I can’t tell you now because then it won’t be democratic anymore. Whoever the people like and vote for during the primaries… could be the candidate.”

The LP chair also referenced a recent court ruling involving the party, expressing satisfaction with the outcome.

“To God be the glory, the case was thrown out because it lacked merit,” she noted, adding that the judge “stood on truth”.

She further hinted that the party might adjust the timetable for its upcoming congresses, citing a surge in membership that could affect participation if deadlines are not reviewed.

“If we go ahead to stick to that date, to my mind, we are going to disenfranchise quite a number of people.”

While zoning is not constitutionally mandated in Nigeria, political parties often adopt it as a strategy to promote balance and national inclusion.

The Labour Party’s latest move mirrors the dynamics of the 2023 elections, where major parties took varying approaches to zoning. While the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the LP fielded southern candidates, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) left its ticket open.

In that election cycle, Atiku Abubakar emerged as the PDP candidate, Peter Obi clinched the LP ticket, while Bola Tinubu represented the APC.

Tinubu eventually won the tightly contested presidential election, with Atiku finishing second and Obi placing third.

With this early zoning declaration, political observers say the Labour Party may be positioning itself strategically as the race toward 2027 gradually gathers momentum.