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• Southern party leaders condemn ‘illegal, exclusionary’ meeting
• ‘No decision yet on zoning, talks to hold on Monday’
• Wike: Anybody who supports Tinubu will get my backing
The PDP faces renewed turmoil as southern leaders reject a Lagos meeting, describing it as “illegal and exclusionary,” exposing sharp regional and personal rifts.
With rival camps rallying behind Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, the party’s unity ahead of its Ibadan convention and 2027 polls hangs in doubt.
National Vice Chairman of the PDP (South-West zone), Kamorudeen Ajisafe, yesterday dismissed the claims by South-East stakeholders, insisting that the Lagos meeting was neither divisive nor exclusionary.
He described as unfortunate the hasty decision of some members to rush to the press to discredit what he called a “widely inclusive meeting.”
According to him, the gathering was attended by two sitting governors from the South-West, 17 representatives from across the country, a former national vice chairman, and the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara, who is from the South-East. He added that Governor Alex Otti of Enugu State, regarded as the leader of the PDP in the South-East, was also present alongside several other critical stakeholders.
Ajisafe stressed that, contrary to impressions created by those in Abuja, the Lagos meeting was purely consultative. “It was meant to further engage stakeholders and fine-tune how the next national elective convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, would be arranged,” he explained.
Taking a swipe at those who condemned the Lagos gathering, he said: “If they could sit in Abuja and issue such a statement, the meaning is that they too are consulting and contributing to ways of moving the party forward, which is exactly what we did in Lagos. All former governors of the PDP were at the Lagos meeting. My appeal to those in Abuja is that instead of dragging the PDP into another round of crisis, we should harmonise our thoughts and forge a common front.”
Ajisafe added that the Lagos meeting was attended by delegates from all six geopolitical zones and 36 states, stressing that its purpose was to strengthen unity ahead of the Ibadan convention and the 2027 polls. “It was in no way meant to exclude anyone, zone, or interest,” he maintained.
Also speaking, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP (South-West zone), Sanya Atofarati, told The Guardian in a separate telephone interview that there was no division within the party. However, he faulted the position of Wike, who claimed he was not invited to the meeting where the decision to hold the convention in Ibadan was finalised.
According to Atofarati, “If the preferred national secretary of PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, was at that meeting where the decision was taken, Mr Wike has no excuse to claim he was not invited.”
Yet, despite Ajisafe’s and Atofarati’s explanations, the reality is that the party remains fractured along regional and personal lines. Some members told The Guardian that they will follow wherever Makinde stands, while others are quietly aligning with Wike, a rivalry that may have triggered the simultaneous meetings in Lagos and Abuja held yesterday.
THE southern leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, who disowned the Lagos meeting, described it as illegal, exclusionary and unrepresentative of the party’s collective interests.
In a joint statement, state chairmen Austin Nwachukwu (Imo), Abraham Amah (Abia), Venatius Ikem (Cross River), Aniekan Akpan (Akwa Ibom) and Aaron Chukwuemeka (Rivers), alongside National Vice Chairman (South-East), Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, O.K. Chinda, warned that such gatherings would not be recognised.
Others who endorsed the statement include Senators Igwe Nwagu, Mao Ohuabunwa, George Sekibo, and Mike Ama Nnachi; former National Secretary, Onwe S. Onwe; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and former Ebonyi State Legal Adviser, Mudi Erhenede.
The leaders expressed dismay that the meeting was held without inviting state chairmen from the South-East and South-South, or key national officers, including the National Secretary and Deputy National Legal Adviser. They also faulted the exclusion of serving and former governors and principal officers of the National Assembly from the region.
“It is highly regrettable and indeed deeply disturbing that such a meeting was convened without the courtesy of inviting several state chairmen… Shockingly, the Minority Leader in the National Assembly and other principal officers of our party from the South-South and South-East were also deliberately sidelined,” the statement read in part.
They further stressed: “Equally concerning is the deliberate omission of most former governors from the South-East and South-South, who, by every standard of history, pedigree, and institutional memory, remain critical stakeholders in any conversation about the future direction of our party. Such brazen disregard for established structures and statutory organs of the PDP not only offends the spirit of collective decision-making but also risks undermining the very foundation upon which our party was built.”
The leaders insisted the Lagos meeting was premature, noting that the zoning committee set up by the party’s 101st National Executive Committee was still working on its report, which would be subject to NEC’s ratification.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we categorically dismiss any resolutions, communiqués, or outcomes purportedly emanating from this meeting as neither binding on, nor reflective of, the collective will and aspirations of the PDP family across southern Nigeria. Decisions reached in secrecy and exclusion cannot and shall not assume the authority of consensus,” they declared.
Reaffirming their commitment to the unity and electoral fortunes of the PDP, the stakeholders urged genuine leaders to resist attempts to manipulate zoning arrangements through “clandestine manoeuvres.”
“Take notice that where any iota of regard is given to the outcome of the purported meeting, we shall not hesitate to take appropriate steps in line with our party constitution to resist same with full force,” they warned.
The leaders restated that the South-East, South-South and South-West remain united in the pursuit of fairness, justice and equity, which they described as the bedrock of the PDP’s relevance and credibility since its formation in 1998.
Southern PDP leaders insist no decision yet on presidential zoning
ALSO, prominent members of the PDP in the South have said the party has not taken a decision on whether the region will produce the next presidential candidate.
“We have not gotten to the decision whether the South will produce the next presidential candidate. If we don’t have a party, anything that we’re trying to do will fall flat,” they said.
They disclosed that the National Executive Council (NEC) will discuss the zoning of the presidential ticket on Monday, alongside other matters.
The leaders also stressed that the party would not engage in a war of words with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, while efforts would be made to reconcile aggrieved members.
“When people go low, or they go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. We will reach out to them, everyone,” Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State said yesterday at the PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit in Lagos.
Those at the meeting included Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State and Governor Peter Mba of Enugu, represented by his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai. Others were former Senate President Adolphus Wabara; former National Deputy Chairman Bode George; South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee Chairman, Emma Ogidi; Southwest Zonal Chairman, Kamorudeen Ajisafe; former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel; former Ebonyi State Governor, Sam Egwu; and former Speaker of Oyo State, Jumoke Akinjide.
The leaders maintained that the PDP’s priority is to strengthen its structures and present Nigerians with a credible alternative capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Makinde emphasised that building a united and functional party must come before deciding on zoning.
“We need to have a functioning political party first before we start talking about presidential candidates. If we don’t have a party, anything that we’re trying to do will fall flat. So our efforts right now are directed towards having a strong and united PDP that Nigerians will be proud of and will believe in.
“We are sure that those that have been saying all around that ‘PDP is dead, PDP is now a carcass,’ at least with the calibre of the people that we have here today and they are committed to PDP taking back its rightful position in Nigeria,” he said.
He added that the consultative meeting was not a statutory provision of the PDP constitution but an inclusive exercise to ensure all stakeholders are carried along.
Wike: Anybody who supports Tinubu will get my backing
MEANWHILE, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will support anyone who supports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging residents to stand behind leaders aligned with the current administration.
Wike made the remarks yesterday at the flag-off of Lot 2 of Water Supply Projects in Karu, where he commended former Senator representing the FCT, Philip Aduda, and the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Maikalangu.
“The chairman has access to us. Anything he tells us, we will do. This is the only man I know. If he wins as chairman of AMAC, we will give him whatever he wants. I don’t know the party he belongs to. But I know that he supports Tinubu. Anybody who supports Tinubu, I will support him,” Wike said.
He described Maikalangu as “very good and hardworking,” noting that the AMAC chairman had used his government access to deliver projects to residents. He assured that his administration would meet the chairman’s demands if he secured re-election.
Wike also criticised previous governments for failing to provide basic amenities, especially water, to satellite towns such as Karu, contrasting them with Tinubu’s administration, which he said had fulfilled its promises.
“We have had a government who stayed here for five years, isn’t that correct? We have had a government who stayed here for eight years too, is that correct? Has any government come to say, look, we will provide you water? Have you had water before? Did this government promise it will give you water? Have we come now to give you water?” he asked the crowd.
“So, you believe you have a covenant with this government. And the covenant is like somebody said, agreement is agreement. So, the people of Karu, you will readily remember the government that remembers you, is it not correct?” he added.
Source: Guardian Nigeria | Read Full Story…
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