Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has defended the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, saying the move is aimed at fostering sanity, understanding and unity within the party.
The opposition party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) reached the resolution on Monday, August 25, during its meeting in Abuja, where it also affirmed Iliya Damagum as its substantive national chairman.
In an interview with AIT barely 24 hours after the decision, Mohammed said he was fully part of the arrangement and described it as an inclusive strategy to stabilise the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said, “I am very satisfied with the resolution because I’m part and parcel of it, from the arrangement, strategy and delivery. So, it is an all-inclusive decision for us to have our NEC in Ibadan, Oyo State on the 15 of October and also to sustain the zoning formular within the party offices and of course to zone the presidential office to the South so that we can have some sanity, some understanding and unity.”
The Bauchi governor urged Nigerians to see politics beyond personal ambition, emphasising sacrifice and collective party interest.
“I am calling on Nigerians to know that politics is not about personal interest. It’s about self-actualisation within the framework of party decisions, party manifesto and also national development,” he said. “Everything is predicated on sacrifice, not self-interest. And of course, we must always give allowance, we must live and let live, we must respect each other. Of course, power comes from God.”
Mohammed assured that PDP governors, members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) are committed to repositioning the party as the preferred choice for Nigerians ahead of the next general election.
“I’m always available, we are all available as governors, as NWC, as BoT to work towards making sure that PDP is a darling of Nigerians so that we can give the political space allowances for everybody to come and actualise his or her aspirations,” he said.
