2027: Zoning to South will give PDP edge in 2027 – Lawmaker

A federal lawmaker, Inuwa Mohammed Bassi, has expressed confidence that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can secure victory in the 2027 election provided the party fields a presidential candidate from the southern region.

Bassi, who represents the Jada, Toungo, Ganye, and Mayo-Belwa Federal Constituency, made the assertion during an exclusive interview with Arewa PUNCH.

He argued that the party’s internal zoning arrangement does not favour the northern region to produce a presidential flag bearer for the next election.

“The only thing that can give PDP victory in 2027 is to bring out a presidential candidate from the zone the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress has zoned its presidential candidate,” he said.

He suggested that aligning the PDP’s choice of candidate with the APC’s zoning pattern would broaden the opposition party’s appeal across ethnic, religious, and regional divides.

“This will break the barriers of ethnicity, religion and regional politics and PDP will use its dominance in the north and add to the southern votes to win the presidential election,” he posited.

Reacting to the recent wave of defections by high-profile PDP members to the ruling APC, Bassi dismissed the development as inconsequential, likening it to a “political trade fair.”

“If they are politically powerful, why did the PDP not win in 2023?” Bassi queried.

“In politics, people decamp to seek positions, attract patronage from their new party. It’s not that they really have anything new to add,” he stated.

“It was just a week ago that the minister of works was going from one state to another flagging off construction of supper highways. The question is, Nigerians are hungry, so the super highways are for the dead or the living?” he asked rhetorically

“Fintiri’s achievements have planted our party in the depth of our people’s hearts. It’s not like the other state where the people are APC in daytime and PDP in the night. So, in Adamawa state, there is no breathing space for another party,” he declared.