Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must field a Christian candidate from the South for the 2027 presidential election, insisting that anything short of that would risk repeating the “grave error” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, August 28, 2025, Mohammed stressed that the PDP leadership has already resolved to zone its presidential ticket to the South, but added that only a Christian flagbearer can unify the party and restore balance to Nigeria’s diverse political structure.
“We need a Christian from the South to emerge as a presidential candidate so that he will lead the majority of Christian southerners and pick a Muslim vice president from the North. That way, we avoid the cul de sac the APC created in 2023 with their same-faith ticket,” Mohammed said. “Our country has not reached a stage where diversity can be ignored. Every factor — faith, ethnicity, and region — must be respected to build inclusion.”
The Bauchi governor argued that the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima alienated millions of Nigerians and undermined the delicate balance needed in a multi-religious country. “That decision, while politically expedient for them, did not consider our national sensitivities. We in the PDP must not repeat that mistake,” he added.
Reacting to speculation about a possible Makinde-Mohammed ticket, the governor dismissed claims that he was positioning himself for the vice presidency under Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. “That is not what we are planning. I am not withdrawing to prepare for vice presidency. If the party leadership and candidate consider me, fine. But if a stronger candidate emerges from the South, I am ready to support. The choice of vice should be left for the presidential candidate,” he said.
Mohammed also emphasized that his position was not about personal ambition but about the survival of the PDP as a credible alternative to the APC. “We lost in 2023 partly because of zoning confusion. This time, we must be clear, united, and strategic,” he noted, urging party stakeholders to learn from history.
With the PDP already zoning its ticket to the South, the debate within the party now shifts to which geopolitical zone — South-East, South-South, or South-West — can produce the most viable Christian candidate to challenge Tinubu or any APC candidate in 2027. Analysts say the decision could define whether the PDP mounts a serious comeback or slips further behind.
