Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lost the 2023 presidential election because it failed to zone its ticket to southern Nigeria.
The governor, who is also the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, spoke on Thursday as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The governor’s remarks came days after the PDP announced that its 2027 presidential ticket would be zoned to the south.
“Life is always a learning process. When we threw the ticket open in 2023, it was not a pleasant experience, and that was why we lost. I discovered that the presidency is a consensus phenomenon. You cannot impose yourself on anybody or any group.”
In 2023, the PDP’s ticket was open, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the party’s flagbearer, a move that triggered discontent within the party.
Governor Bala, who also contested for the ticket in 2023, welcomed the party’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the south, describing it as a move that would strengthen PDP’s unity and improve its electoral chances.
“When my party decided that we would zone this ticket to the south, I had no qualms because I knew it was for the common good and not about personal interest. We have learnt our lessons from the mistakes we made in the past.”
The governor added that the PDP now needs “somebody strong, or stronger than the incumbent, from the south to give President Tinubu a real fight,” stressing that the ruling APC government is not performing well and Nigerians deserve an alternative.
