Predict the future of politics is always a challenge, since the landscape is constantly changing and can continue, as well as the preparations for the 2027 general elections continue in the maximum speed.
Tribune online Recently he informs that the PDP, after its 102nd meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, announced the decision to locate the 2027 presidential ticket to the southern part of the country.
Based on current political tendencies, the pronouncements and the historical context of the PDP, there are five southern politicians who can be considered possible contenders for the presidential ticket of the 2027 party:
Peter Obi
National leader of the Labor Party, Peter Obi
A former Governor of the State of Anambra and the 2023 presidential candidate for the Labor Party, Peter Obi, has significant national monitoring, particularly among young people. There have been ongoing talks and speculations about a potential alliance or a return to the PDP for OBI, and some within the party have expressed interest in it as a candidate to challenge the ruling party. Its attractiveness crosses regional and religious divisions, which makes it a formidable potential candidate.
Tribune online Reports that the president of the PDP governors forum, Governor Muhammed Balance of the State of Bauchi, recently indicated that the party is considering the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labor Party (LP) and the PDP force partner to Atiku Abubakar in 2019, Mr. Peter Obi, and former President Goodluck Jonathan, for the 2027 presidency.
Seyi Makinde
Governor of Oyo, Seyi Makinde
The current governor of the state of Oyo, Seyi Makinde, is an outstanding figure in the PDP, especially in the southwest. He is known for being a political knowledgeable and has maintained strong control over his state. As an influential governor, it could be a strong voice for the youngest generation and a significant contender for the party ticket.
Also read: 2027: five main problems that can shape ADC zoning
While Makinde has not openly declared interest in competing for the party ticket before the 2027 general elections, Tribune online It informs that the presidential posters of the governor have flooded strategic locations in the north, including Kano and the main cities of the state of Jigawa.
In addition, a group, known as the Youth Awareness Group of Nigeria Makinde 2027 (Nyag Makinde 2027), while heading to the press in Kano in May 2025, declared that given the political permutations of the presidential elections of 2027, only the governor of the state of Oyo, the engineer Seyi Makinde, can advance in Nigeria.
Good luck Jonathan
Good luck Jonathan
A former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is still a significant figure in Nigerian politics. Since he only fulfilled a complete mandate as elected president, he is considered legally eligible to run again for the number one office. Although it has maintained a relatively low profile, its name continues to be mentioned in political circles as a potential candidate, and has a deep basis of support, particularly in the South-South.
However, this is not the first time that Jonathan’s name dominates conversations about possible candidates to fight the power of the Congress of all the progressive (APC) that expelled him in the PDP in the 2015 general elections. Before the 2023 surveys, there was pressure on him to apply for the presidency with speculations that the leadership of the then APC was considering as an option. However, Tribune online He reports that the party denied the plans to present Jonathan as his presidential candidate of 2023.
Nyesom Wike
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike
The former governor of Rivers and a current minister in the administration of all the progressives of Congress (APC), Nyesom Wike, remains a powerful and influential figure in the PDP. Despite its current role in the APC, it has a strong political machinery and a story of being an important player in the PDP policy. His past performance in the presidential primaries of PDP 2023, where he arrived in second place, demonstrates his ability to push himself through the ticket. However, Wike has not declared his intention to join the presidential race of 2027.
Meanwhile, Tribune online Reports that Wike, an interview with BBC News Pidgin published in May 2025, Wike dismissed the speculations that surround him against the current administration, emphasizing his unwavering loyalty to President Tinubu.
Udom Gabriel Emmanuel
Udom Emmanuel
The former Governor of the State of Akwa Ibom and a presidential candidate in 2023, Udom Emmanuel, may be interested in shooting again for the highest political position on Earth. With the PDP ticket now in areas to the south, UDOM could be a potential candidate, since it has a solid governance history and is a respected figure in the South-South. His previous participation in primary elections shows his political ambition, and could be a dark horse candidate if the party decides to look beyond the most prominent figures.
NB: These people are well positioned to capitalize on the zoning decision of the PDP, but the internal dynamics of the party and the evolutionary political landscape will ultimately determine their candidate.
2027 and ADC’s opportunity
The internal dispute within the PDP is an advantage that the ADC coalition is designed to explode. The ADC is presented as a more unified alternative and focused on reform, attracting unhappy politicians of the PDP, APC and other parties.
The fact that the high profile figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the former Labor Party Petter Obi candidate have joined the coalition suggests that they see the ADC as a more serious platform to challenge and put an end to the 12 -year APC rule, which the current opposition PDP.
Like the PDP, Tribune online He informs that the ADC is also attracting former President Jonathan and, according to a source, the key figures in the ADC felt comfortable with having Jonathan as his presidential candidate and, in fact, he had contacted him.
2027 Zoning: PDP reacting Chieftains
An interested part of the PDP, Oladimeji Fabiyi, has gotten into development, describing the zoning of the presidential ticket to the southern part of the country as a “serious error and deliberate mischief.”
In a recent interview about the morning report on channel television, monitored by Tribune onlineFabiyi declared: “As a member of the PDP for a long time, that he really understood the path of the PDP, I think what PDP did about this zoning thing was a serious mistake, and it was a deliberate mischief.”
He warned that the decision could destabilize the party and lead to its fall.
Similarly, another PDP chief and a former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, criticized the decision of the party, maintaining that the National Executive Committee (NEC) made a “big mistake” by adopting the zoning decision.
He warned that the measure is equivalent to a support of the re -election offer of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stating that those who advocate zoning are the same people who work for President Tinubu.
Olawepo-Hashim described the movement as “unprecedented” in the history of the game.
“The zoning of the presidency to the South is a predetermined campaign for the return of President Bola Tinubu. Because those who are riding this zoning campaign to the south are the same people who say: ‘We are in PDP, but we work for President Tinubu’,” he said.
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