Senator Victor Umeh has defended the decision of the Nigeria Democratic Congress to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, describing the move as a strategic step aimed at preserving national unity and political balance.
Speaking on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, the Anambra Central senator said the party recognised the need to respect Nigeria’s informal power-sharing arrangement between the North and South.
According to him, the party resolved during its convention that the South should complete what he described as the remaining four years of its expected eight-year hold on the presidency before power shifts back to the North in 2031.
“The motion that was moved yesterday was that the presidency is zoned to the South for four years and in 2031 when the South would have completed the four years of the eight years due to the South, automatically the presidency should revert to the North,” Umeh said.
He added that the zoning arrangement would help reduce political tension and reassure all regions that fairness and inclusion remain part of the country’s democratic process.
“That is how you preserve national unity. You cannot pretend that people are very sensitive to these things. NDC was strategic enough to reason in that direction,” he stated.
Umeh further noted that delegates at the convention overwhelmingly supported the zoning formula, stressing that ignoring regional sensitivities in a diverse country like Nigeria could threaten stability.
The senator also referenced former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, saying Obi had long indicated he would serve only one term if elected president.
“Mr. Obi, for example, started a long time ago to say that he will spend only four years and give way. He knows that he cannot do a second term because Tinubu is already doing four years for the South,” Umeh said.
The NDC recently announced that its 2027 presidential ticket would be reserved for Southern aspirants, a decision that has continued to generate reactions across the political landscape.
