As preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections, the Labour Party (LP) has announced that its presidential ticket will be zoned to the southern region of the country.
LP’s National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Nenadi Usman, disclosed the decision during a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja on Tuesday.
“We have taken one clear decision: we will certainly not field any aspirant from Northern Nigeria. The position is zoned to southern Nigeria,” Usman said. “So, if any northerner seeks to contest, we certainly will not accept that.”
She emphasized that the party would adhere to internal democratic processes and declined to name any potential candidate.
“As for who it will be, I can’t tell you now, because then it wouldn’t be democratic anymore. The candidate will be whoever the people vote for during the primaries,” she said.
Usman also highlighted the party’s growing membership and hinted at a possible review of the dates for LP’s upcoming congresses.
“If we stick to the current dates, we risk disenfranchising quite a number of people,” she explained.
While zoning is not mandated by Nigeria’s constitution, some political parties adopt the practice to promote equity and fairness.
Tuesday’s decision mirrors the party’s approach in the 2023 general elections, when it fielded a southern candidate. In that election, LP’s Peter Obi was the flagbearer, APC’s Bola Tinubu contested from the south, and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar emerged as the candidate from the north. Tinubu eventually won the closely contested presidential poll, with Atiku and Obi trailing behind.
