2027: Alot of People in the LP Family Believe a Northerner Have No Business Contesting-Sen. Usman

The Labour Party may be moving toward a clear southern zoning strategy for the 2027 presidential election, following a revealing statement by its Interim National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE Prime Time on Tuesday, Usman disclosed that a strong current of opinion within the party believes the presidency should remain in the South in 2027, effectively ruling out northern aspirants.

According to her, “a lot of people in the Labour Party family are of the opinion that when it comes to elections in 2027, a northerner has no business contesting.” She added that she personally aligns with that view, signalling what could become a defining internal consensus ahead of the next general election.

The comment comes at a delicate moment for the Labour Party, which is still navigating leadership disputes and rebuilding its national structure following a Federal High Court ruling affirming Usman’s caretaker committee as the party’s legitimate leadership pending a national convention.

While the party has yet to formally announce zoning arrangements, Usman’s remarks suggest that internal discussions are already tilting decisively toward a southern presidential ticket, an approach likely influenced by Nigeria’s informal power-rotation principle and the North’s eight-year hold on the presidency by 2027.

Her position also raises questions about the party’s post-Peter Obi strategy. Obi, the Labour Party’s most prominent presidential candidate to date, has since left the party, leaving a leadership and electoral vacuum at the national level. Usman, however, insisted that the party still has viable southern options and a deep pool of potential candidates committed to its social justice ideology.

Although no official decision has been taken, the statement marks the clearest indication yet that the Labour Party is preparing to anchor its 2027 presidential ambitions in the South, even as it weighs broader strategic choices, including possible alliances or coalitions.

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