THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has confirmed Umar Damagum as its substantive National Chairman and zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
Both decisions were reached on Monday, August 25, during the party’s 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the resolution to zone the ticket followed the submission of a report by the Zoning Committee, chaired by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri.
According to him, the NEC also ratified that the current zoning formula for positions in the National Working Committee (NWC) should remain unchanged for the party’s forthcoming elective convention scheduled for November.
“That having retained the position of the national chairman in the northern region of the country, the presidential candidate of the party for the 2027 general election is hereby zoned to the southern region.
“That the regions should immediately micro-zone positions within its region for implementation,” he said.
At the meeting, Damagum, who had served as Acting National Chairman for more than a year, was formally sworn in as substantive chairman by the party’s National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade.
According to the communique issued after the meeting, NEC ratified that Damagum would serve until after the national convention.
“NEC hereby ratifies and confirms the appointment of Amb. Iliya Umar Damagum as the substantive national chairman of the party with effect from today, Monday, 25th August, 2025 until the national convention holding at Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, on 15th to 16th November, 2025,” the communique reads.
In July this year, The ICIR reported the implosion within the party, as its bigwigs, including its presidential candidate in the 2023 election and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar dumped the party for a new coalition that has now adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC)
A party which once claimed to be Africa’s largest has been enmeshed since 2022, when presidential ticket pitched some of the party leaders against one another.
The party’s chairman (Damagum) perceived loyalty to certain party members and failure to address internal grievances deepened factionalism among the PDP ranks.
The current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike had been at loggerheads with some chieftains of the party.
Wike, an influential PDP member, is serving in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He has claimed repeatedly that the PDP endorsed his appointment by President Bola Tinubu.
Despite serving in the APC and canvassing votes for Tinubu in 2027, Wike has been among those calling the shots in the PDP.
He had warned that the PDP should not zone its presidency in the North for the 2027 poll.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M