Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has characterized the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) move to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the southern part of the country as a necessary “sacrifice for unity.”
This statement follows a resolution by the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s highest decision-making body, which officially zoned the presidential candidacy to the south during its meeting on Monday. The arrangement simultaneously maintains the party’s national chairmanship in the north.
The decision effectively sidelines Governor Mohammed and other prominent northern PDP members who were considered potential presidential contenders.
Addressing journalists in Bauchi on Tuesday, Governor Mohammed expressed his full endorsement of the resolution, emphasizing that politics must be guided by collective unity rather than personal ambition.
“I am very satisfied with the resolution because I am part and parcel of it, from the arrangement, strategy, and delivery,” the governor stated.
He outlined the party’s upcoming schedule, noting, “We have taken an all-inclusive decision to hold our convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15, and another NEC meeting on October 15.”
Explaining the rationale behind the zoning, Mohammed said the party agreed “to maintain the existing zoning arrangement for party offices and to zone the presidential ticket to the south in order to promote sanity, understanding, and unity.”
Reiterating his stance on party discipline, he affirmed, “Politics is not about self-interest. It is about actualization within the framework of party decisions, manifesto, and national progress. Everything is predicated on sacrifice, not self-interest. We must live and let live.”
Governor Mohammed concluded by urging party members to foster mutual respect and recognize that the power to lead is ultimately divinely ordained.