The fragile peace in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is again under threat, with a fresh crisis looming over zoning arrangements in the South ahead of the party’s elective national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16.
At its 101st National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in July, the party had unanimously chosen Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, as the host of the convention where new members of the National Working Committee (NWC) are expected to emerge to replace the Ambassador Umar Damagum-led leadership.
The PDP has, however, remained unsettled by lingering disputes, including the battle over the office of National Secretary between Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, both backed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, respectively.
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Wike, a former Rivers State governor and central figure in the party’s internal strife since its 2022 presidential primary, had declared the PDP crisis “over” following Atiku Abubakar’s loss. But tensions are again flaring.
Despite the inauguration of both the zoning and convention planning committees, Wike insists he has no knowledge of any convention fixed for November in Ibadan.
“Have they given a date for Ibadan? I don’t know. When has the party’s NEC sat? When did they agree on that? The one they said is NEC is not NEC; NEC has not met. In fact, we are meeting tomorrow. NEC has not met,” Wike said on Tuesday.
Asked if he was planning a parallel convention, he replied:
“I am not aware that they are going for a convention in Ibadan. As a NEC member, I have not been told, and nobody has invited me for a NEC meeting. If those people who are working as a team say they are holding NEC, so be it. If no notice of meeting has been served on me as a member of NEC, I have every right to challenge that, and no one can deny me my rights.”
On whether he would head to court, the former governor said his group would meet on the development. “Obviously, we will not allow that injustice to prevail. We will not allow that impunity. We will not allow that,” he declared.
Battle for control ahead of 2027
Findings by Daily Trust indicate that the controversy over the convention is tied to the battle for control of party structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to party insiders, Wike believes holding the convention in Ibadan would give Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde an advantage in strengthening his hold on the PDP. Makinde, a former member of Wike-led G-5 governors that opposed Atiku’s presidential ambition in 2023, has been rumoured to be nursing the ambition of vying for the party’s ticket for the 2027 presidential election.
Daily Trust earlier reported how party leaders remain divided over whether to field former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, or Makinde as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The Damagum-led NWC, which enjoys the backing of PDP governors, has also refused to recognise the outcomes of congresses conducted in Cross River where Wike’s loyalists emerged as South-South leaders.
This refusal, sources said, has fuelled speculations that Wike and his allies may stage a parallel national convention in Abuja.
As an illustration of the deepening rift, the caretaker chairman for the South-South zone, whom Wike insists should not be recognised, as well as Ali Odefa, the PDP National Vice Chairman (South East), whom Wike claims is no longer a member of the party, were both invited to yesterday’s zoning summit in Lagos.
The Lagos gathering, tagged “PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit”, was attended by Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Douye Diri (Bayelsa); Enugu State Deputy Governor Ifeanyi Ossai (representing Governor Peter Mbah); and Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara.
Also present were PDP chieftains including former Deputy National Chairman Chief Olabode George; ex-Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Ebonyi Governor Sam Egwu; ex-Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel; former Oyo Speaker Jumoke Akinjide; Dr. Ali Odefa; Chief Emma Ogidi; Hon. Nnena Ukeje; and Dr. Eddy Olafeso.
The summit went ahead despite Wike’s camp dismissing it as “illegal.”
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 National Vice Chairman (South East) Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck and House Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, described the meeting as “an illegality.”
Nevertheless, the Lagos meeting held in a closed-door session that lasted about an hour.
Sources revealed that stakeholders discussed zoning party offices, with those present insisting that the chairmanship should remain in the North while the presidency stays in the South. But divisions persisted over micro-zoning of key positions.
Makinde defends Lagos summit
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Governor Makinde declined to disclose resolutions, saying outcomes would be presented to NEC on Monday. He, however, defended the summit and dismissed opposition from the Wike camp.
“There is nothing wrong in consulting,” Makinde said. “Democracy is about the minority having their say and the majority having their way. The South has taken far-reaching decisions, and in the days ahead, wider consultations will also take place.
“Those saying PDP is dead can see from the calibre of leaders here: sitting governors, former governors, elders, the former Senate President, Chairman of the BOT, all committed to PDP taking back its rightful position in Nigeria.”
Makinde noted that Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State attended briefly before leaving for official duties, while Enugu’s Deputy Governor represented Governor Mbah.
“Of the 17 southern states, 12 members of the zoning committee were here. You have senators, Reps, BOT members from the three southern zones. Of course, you don’t score 100% in politics, but this is a strong base,” he said.
On reconciliation, the governor assured that efforts were ongoing to engage aggrieved members.
“Consultation means you keep reaching out, you keep engaging. Our effort right now is directed towards having a virile and united PDP that Nigerians will be proud of.
“This meeting is not statutory, but democracy is about inclusivity and carrying stakeholders along. NEC is on Monday, and a decision will be taken,” he added.
On zoning the presidency, Makinde said: “We haven’t even gotten there. We need to have a party first before you start talking about presidential candidates. If we don’t have a party, anything else will fall flat.”
Micro-zoning controversy deepens
A source at the meeting told Daily Trust that southern stakeholders were united on zoning the chairmanship to the North and presidency to the South.
However, disagreement remains over whether the presidency should be micro-zoned among the South-West, South-South and South-East.
“The Wike camp is against micro-zoning,” the source said. “But they are in the minority. In democracy, the minority will have their say, and the majority their way. Out of 17 states in the South, 12 zoning committee members attended. We have until Monday to fine-tune our positions.”
Another stakeholder added: “Our position is that the presidency remains in the South while chairmanship remains in the North.”
We will handle Wike’s issue – George
Speaking with one of our correspondents after the Lagos meeting, former PDP Deputy National Chairman Bode George said the party would this time decisively address the case of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Recall that the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) on Wednesday threatened to wield the big stick against Wike after he vowed that he and his group would not allow the Ibadan convention to hold.
Party spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, had warned that “if any member behaved inconsistent with the constitution of the party, the necessary actions will kick in. We’ve said that before, and we mean every word we have said as a party.”
Multiple sources told Daily Trust that the NWC, at its Thursday meeting, initially intended to recommend Wike’s suspension to the NEC meeting scheduled for August 25 but later stepped back from the move.
Apparently referencing this background, George said, “The party will handle the Wike issue this time around because at the previous NEC meeting, we had to hold back. They said we should give them time to talk to the members of the House who decamped.
“But the time has expired. We must take a decisive decision now, otherwise we will look like a laughing stock.”
Wike allies disown Lagos zoning summit
Recall that Wike, during his Tuesday TV interview, had said his group would meet to take a formal decision on the planned NEC meeting in Ibadan, which he described as an “injustice” that would not be allowed to stand.
But Daily Trust gathered from multiple sources within the PDP that the meeting could not hold because many of those expected to attend were unavailable.
A high-ranking member of the party told Daily Trust that the minister had hoped to gather a critical mass of loyalists to prove that he controlled “a serious bloc” within the PDP, but this failed to materialise on Wednesday night.
“The meeting was already scheduled for Wednesday, which was why the minister himself announced it on national television. Everything was set. But there were certain people the minister was expecting to be physically present so he could show strength. Some, either due to genuine excuses or a deliberate decision not to attend, refused to show up. The minister was disappointed, and the meeting collapsed,” the source said.
According to the source, that setback prompted the group to quickly release a statement on Thursday morning criticising the Lagos meeting. The minister, it was learnt, believes that unless the PDP formally recognises the South-South zonal congress conducted under his camp, the convention will not hold without resistance.
On Thursday morning, state PDP chairmen loyal to Wike, alongside National Assembly members and other stakeholders from the South, disowned the Lagos zoning summit.
The Lagos meeting had been expected to decide the input of Southern stakeholders on the zoning of the presidential ticket and the National Working Committee (NWC) positions ahead of the convention.
But the PDP leaders, in a statement read on their behalf by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, said: “Any resolutions, communiqués, or outcomes purportedly emanating from the meeting are 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.”
“The meeting, dubbed a ‘summit’, was allegedly convened in the name of the three geo-political zones of Southern Nigeria—South East, South South and South West. It is regrettable and deeply disturbing that such a meeting was held without the courtesy of inviting several state chairmen from the South East and South South, as well as the duly elected National Secretary and Deputy National Legal Adviser of our great party.
“Even more troubling is the inexplicable exclusion of national officers, eminent leaders and other critical stakeholders. Shockingly, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and other principal officers from the South-East and South-South were also sidelined from a meeting where sensitive decisions on zoning, power rotation and political equity were to be discussed.
“Equally concerning is the omission of most former governors from the South-East and South-South, who remain critical stakeholders in shaping the direction of our party. Such disregard for established structures and statutory organs undermines the very foundation upon which the PDP was built.”
The group said: “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 assume the authority of consensus.
“More particularly, the summit is premature and tailored to protect the selfish ambition of a select few, as the zoning committee set up by the 101st NEC is yet to present its report for ratification.”
They called on the National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Committee (NEC) and all stakeholders to disregard any outcome of the Lagos meeting, describing it as “illegal and divisive.”
Defection: PDP asks court to sack four Osun lawmakers
Meanwhile, the PDP has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the removal of four lawmakers representing Osun State at the National Assembly for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers include two senators and two members of the House of Representatives: Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi (Osun East); Senator Olubiyi Oluwole Fadeyi (Osun Central); Rep. Omirin Emmanuel Olusanya (Atakumosa East/West and Ilesa East/West Federal Constituency); and Rep. Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro (Ife Central/East/North and South Federal Constituency).
In four separate suits filed on Wednesday by its lead counsel, Raphael Oyewole, the PDP listed the lawmakers as first defendants.
While the Senate President is named as the second defendant in the cases against the senators, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is named in the suits against the two representatives.
Other defendants include the National Assembly, the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Raising six questions for determination, the PDP asked the court to decide whether, by virtue of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), any lawmaker who defects from the party on whose platform they were elected—without a division, merger or faction within that party—must forfeit their seat before the end of their tenure.
The PDP therefore asked the court to declare that the four lawmakers’ continued occupation of their seats, after defecting from the party on whose platform they were elected, breaches Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution and should be declared vacant.
PDP accuses members of betrayal after Taraba by-election loss
In a related development, allegations of anti-party activities have trailed last Saturday’s bye-election in Karim I State Constituency of Taraba, where the PDP, which has been governing the state for years, lost to the APC.
Some PDP stakeholders blamed the defeat on members who allegedly worked against the party’s candidate before and during the poll.
Party insiders told Daily Trust that the APC prepared rigorously for the contest and outmanoeuvred the PDP despite its incumbency advantage.
A PDP chieftain from Karim Lamido Local Government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the bye-election as a test of the party’s strength, which it ultimately failed. He alleged that the use of money was decisive in the contest.
“An election like this usually involves financial inducement because voters expect it. The PDP mobilised its machinery fully, but the APC deployed a different strategy,” he said.
In Jen town, considered a critical battleground, sources said some PDP members voted against the party’s candidate in protest after local leaders boasted that the party would win regardless of outside support.
A former senator, who also requested anonymity, said: “Even at the national level, some PDP members are working against the party because of the benefits they receive from the federal government. The same game played out in the Karim I bye-election, where PDP members were allegedly bought over by the APC.”
Another PDP member, James Bulus, urged the party to investigate the allegations and sanction any member found guilty of anti-party activities.
Meanwhile, PDP state chairman Abubakar Bawa rejected the outcome of the poll, describing it as “daylight robbery.” He also alleged an attempt on his life during the election.
“You can see my car riddled with bullets. I was a target of assassination, but they didn’t succeed,” Bawa told reporters.