Southern stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday convened in Lagos to deliberate on zoning arrangements ahead of the party’s forthcoming national convention.
DIPLOMATICINFO reports that loyalists of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, were conspicuously absent.
The meeting, held at the Legend Hotel, Ikeja, was summoned under the auspices of the PDP Zoning Committee chaired by Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri.
It is expected to shape recommendations on the distribution of party offices and, by extension, the 2027 presidential ticket.
Among the politicians spotted at the meeting were Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George, and Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara.
Also in attendance are former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Governor of Ebonyi Sam Egwu; former Governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel; former Speaker of Oyo State House of Aassembly, Jumoke Akinjide.
Others are Dr Ali Odefa, Chief Emma Ogidi; Hon. Nnena Ukeje, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, among others.
Recall that PDP leaders aligned with Wike earlier in the day dismissed the Lagos meeting as “illegal” and “exclusionary.” In a joint statement, party chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers States—Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah, Venatius Ikem, Aniekan Akpan, and Aaron Chukwuemeka—alongside other key figures including National Vice Chairman (South-East), Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, and House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, declared their withdrawal.
“Decisions reached in secrecy and exclusion cannot and shall not assume the authority of consensus,” the statement read, accusing organizers of sidelining several state chairmen, national officers, and former governors from the South-East and South-South.
The Wike camp argued that the Lagos meeting was premature and an attempt to pre-empt the report of the Diri-led zoning committee, which was inaugurated only last week by Acting PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum. The committee was mandated to harmonize positions ahead of the PDP’s elective convention, scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
While reiterating loyalty to the PDP, the dissenting bloc vowed to resist what it described as “clandestine maneuvers” aimed at manipulating the zoning process. They warned that any resolutions from Lagos would not be binding or reflective of the collective aspirations of Southern Nigeria within the party.
