The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State has unveiled Dr Daniel Kim as the running mate to its governorship candidate, Chief Kefas Ropshik Kefiano, for the 2027 election. The announcement was made by the party’s State Executive Committee (SEC), which also confirmed the nomination of Chief John Arkson as chairman of the PDP Elders Council and the appointment of Chris Hassan as director-general of the campaign organisation.
Addressing party stakeholders, Chief Kefiano acknowledged the legal challenges the PDP has faced in recent years but insisted the party remains a dominant force in Plateau State and national politics. He emphasised that the state’s zoning arrangement — which rotates the governorship among its three senatorial districts — is sacrosanct and will be strictly observed.
Chief Kefiano pledged to serve only a single four-year term, completing the two-term allocation for his senatorial district. He warned that previous attempts to circumvent the zoning principle had been rejected by the electorate, leading to the loss of the governorship by the incumbent party. “Plateau people are some of the most conscientious in the country,” he said. “They always adhere to zoning regulations.”
The campaign, he added, will be issue-based, focusing on what he described as the failure of the current state administration to meet the needs of the people.
Hon. Johnbull Shekarau, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, commended the patience and resilience of party members throughout the struggle for recognition, crediting their perseverance for the party’s current standing.
State party chairman, Hon. Peter Tongshien, confirmed that the names of all PDP candidates have been submitted to the national secretariat and successfully uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal. He assured supporters that the party is fully prepared to commence campaigning in line with INEC guidelines.
The development signals the PDP’s early mobilisation ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle, with the party seeking to consolidate its structure around the zoning compact that has long shaped Plateau’s political calculus. Observers note that the one-term pledge by the governorship candidate could serve as a test of the party’s commitment to internal democracy and power rotation in a state where zoning disputes have previously triggered defections and electoral setbacks.
With candidate lists finalised at the commission level, attention now turns to the campaign rollout and the party’s ability to translate its organisational readiness into voter mobilisation across the state’s seventeen local government areas.
