The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, a decision announced during the party’s national convention currently taking place in Abuja.
The convention is also expected to ratify amendments to the party’s constitution, elect new national executives, and review key decisions earlier taken by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
Prominent opposition figures, including former presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, are attending the gathering amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC has recently recorded several defections from other opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
On Tuesday, 17 members of the House of Representatives officially defected from the ADC to the NDC during plenary at the National Assembly. The lawmakers include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande, Munachim Umezuruike, Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, Murphy Omoruyi, and Abdulhakeem Ado.
Their defection followed the formal entry of Obi and Kwankwaso into the NDC after leaving the ADC. Both politicians received their membership cards during a meeting with party leaders in Abuja.
Former Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson welcomed the opposition leaders into the party, while Obi cited internal crises, external interference, and rising tensions within opposition parties as reasons for leaving the ADC, which he joined from the Labour Party in December 2025.
