The Democratic Leadership Alliance has thrown its presidential ticket open to all parts of the country ahead of the 2027 general election, distancing itself from the zoning arrangement adopted by some political parties.
Speaking at the party’s maiden national convention in Abuja on Wednesday, the National Chairman, Samuel Memeh, said the decision was aimed at promoting national unity and ensuring that competence, rather than regional considerations, determines leadership emergence within the party.
The DLA, one of the newly registered political parties preparing for the 2027 polls, said it deliberately refused to restrict its presidential ticket to the South despite ongoing national conversations around power rotation.
“As part of our commitment to national unity and integration, the Democratic Leadership Alliance has taken the deliberate decision not to zone its presidential ticket to the Southern part of Nigeria.
“This decision is not intended to diminish any region of the country, but rather to strengthen national unity, deepen inclusiveness, and demonstrate that the future of Nigeria must be built on competence, patriotism, and collective national interest above sectional considerations.
“We believe that Nigeria can only truly progress when leadership is seen as a national responsibility rather than a regional entitlement. Our goal is to build a political culture where every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, religion, or region, sees themselves first as citizens of one united nation,” Memeh said.
The party chairman said the DLA emerged out of the desire to build what he described as a value-driven political alternative, insisting that the party was founded by ordinary Nigerians rather than entrenched political interests.
