A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Inuwa Mohammed Bassi, has declared that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can only win the 2027 presidential election if it fields a candidate from the southern region.
Bassi, who represents Jada, Toungo, Ganye, and Mayo-Belwa Federal Constituency in Adamawa State, made the assertion in an exclusive interview with Arewa PUNCH on Wednesday in Yola.
He argued that the PDP’s internal zoning arrangement does not favour a northern presidential bid for the upcoming 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 further explained that nominating a southern candidate would help the PDP bridge regional and religious divides, positioning the party to consolidate its strongholds in the North while expanding support in the South.
“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.
Commenting on recent defections of PDP chieftains to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bassi dismissed the moves as superficial and without lasting impact on the PDP’s electoral prospects.
“If they are politically powerful, why did the PDP not win in 2023?” Bassi queried.
He noted that political defections are often driven by self-interest rather than ideology or grassroots support.
“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.
Looking ahead to the 2026 pre-election season, the lawmaker expressed confidence that the PDP would experience an influx of returnees and new members, including those currently aligned with the APC and other parties.
He argued that the ruling party lacks a compelling development record to run on.
“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
Bassi maintained that public discontent would grow further by 2026, resulting in a mass rejection of the APC and renewed support for the PDP.
Turning to developments in his home state, he commended Governor Ahmadu Fintiri for entrenching the PDP’s dominance in Adamawa through people-focused governance and visible achievements.
“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.