• Presidential ticket zoning to South doesn’t bar other regions, says legal adviser
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned against any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections, insisting that Nigerians will not accept excuses of technical glitches in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Meanwhile, the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, said the party’s decision to zone its presidential ticket to the South does not prevent aspirants from other regions from contesting.
The National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who addressed journalists in Abuja yesterday, declared that the party would lead the charge to ensure a transparent and credible electoral process in 2027.
According to him, Nigeria’s existing infrastructure can support seamless electronic transmission of results, and, as such, INEC must not give room for manipulation.
“We, as a party, are going to take charge. Nigerians will not listen to any story about glitches. There must be none because the infrastructure in the country today can support it. If you can support Point of Sale (PoS) in the remote part of this country, INEC should be on notice.
The 2027 general election must be seamless, free, fair, transparent and credible. Any attempt to abridge the rights of Nigerians to choose their leaders will be resisted,” Ologunagba said.
He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu of resorting to “endorsement shopping” out of fear of the PDP’s renewed strength ahead of the polls.
“If, indeed, the President is doing well and the APC is succeeding, you let your work speak for you. The fact is, they are not doing well. Nigerians know that APC has failed. People cannot feed their families; they cannot pay school fees, and there is anxiety over new taxes, including the proposed five per cent levy on petroleum products. That is not governance, but panic,” he added.
The PDP spokesman further accused the APC of sustaining what he described as “a pyramid of lies”, arguing that the government failed to translate its promises into meaningful improvement in the lives of Nigerians.
Ologunagba maintained that the credibility of the next election would rest squarely on INEC’s capacity to transmit results from polling units in real time.
“If PoS works in every village, BVAS should work too. Anything to the contrary will amount to institutional manipulation. Nigerians are wiser now,” he stressed.
On preparations for the party’s national convention billed for November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Ologunagba disclosed that all statutory organs, stakeholders and chapters of the PDP were working together to ensure a seamless exercise. He noted that the convention organising committee had already set up 11 subcommittees covering logistics, security, venue, transportation, publicity and other areas.
According to him, the outcome of the Ibadan convention will strengthen the PDP and reposition it to reclaim power in 2027. The legal adviser, while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, yesterday, explained that while zoning is part of the PDP’s internal arrangements for balance and equity, it cannot override the Constitution, which allows every citizen the right to contest elective office.
“The zoning, purely to the South, has to do with our own internal democracy, and that has to do with our Constitution, requiring us to do zoning and balancing. But that will not preclude any other person from running if they deem it necessary to run. We cannot do things that will run against the Constitution itself, which is the grand norm,” he said.
Ajibade also stressed the importance of unity and reconciliation within the PDP, warning politicians not to place their personal ambitions above the collective interest of the party.
On the role of former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and the G5 in the party’s 2023 electoral loss, Ajibade said it would be wrong to single out Wike. He explained that the G5 crisis was not about an individual, stressing that the party had moved to address issues of loyalty and discipline among its members.
