Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has reiterated the need for a virile and united Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before conversations around choice of presidential candidate in 2027 general elections.
Mr Makinde spoke to journalists after a closed-door PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit held on Thursday in Ikeja, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was convened to deliberate on zoning arrangements ahead of the party’s forthcoming national convention.
Answering questions on whether the meeting deliberated on the choice of the party’s presidential candidate for 2027, Mr 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 that you are trying to do will fall flat.
“So, our efforts right now is directed towards having a virile and united PDP that Nigerians will be proud of, and again will believe in.”
Justifying the need for adequate consultations with all PDP stakeholders, Mr Makinde said that the party must close ranks and present itself as a credible alternative.
He said that the party stakeholders at the meeting had taken far-reaching decisions ahead of the November National Convention of the party.
He said: “We just finished the consultative meeting of the PDP Zoning Committee for the south, and nothing should stop us from consulting.
“Democracy is about the minority having their say and the majority having their way. That is democracy.
“So, we are democrats, the south has taken far-reaching decisions, and in the days ahead leading to the convention
“Our next wider consultations will also take place, and we are sure that those that have been saying that ‘PDP is dead” ‘PDP is now’ a carcass will know the party is much alive.”
According to him, the calibre of people that attended the meeting has proved those who claim PDP is dead wrong.
“They are all here and committed to PDP taking back its rightful position in Nigeria.
“So in the days ahead, some of the things discussed here, you’ll see them,” he said.
Highlighting the prominence of the stakeholders at the summit Mr Makinde said that meeting had Governor Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Governor Peter Mba of Enugu, represented by his deputy, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun, who earlier left to address an issue in Osogbo.
“Governor Adeleke is here, he came back into this country, I believe this morning, and then he went straight to Osogbo to address some governance issues, but he said, whatever we decide here is with us.
“Gov. Diri is here, Gov. Peter Mba, who couldn’t make it physically, but sent the deputy governor.
“We have the Chairman of our Board of Trustees here. We also have at least 12 of the 17 members of the zoning committee from the south. It’ is one per state. So, we have 12 states here.
“We have Rep. members and senators from each zone in the south, the three zones. We have BOT members from the three zones in the south. The organisers have scored about 100 per cent.
“Consultation means you keep reaching out, you keep engaging. So from this meeting, we will also reach out and engage and even do more.
“We are trying to get all stakeholders, all tendencies in the PDP together so that we can give a credible alternative to Nigerians in the years ahead,” he said.
He said though the consultative meeting was not something statutory in the PDP constitution, “democracy requires inclusivity, reaching out and ensuring that all stakeholders are carried along.,”
Mr Makinde said that the party would continue to reach out to all interests ahead of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party.
He said that PDP has good plans for Nigerians, appealing to the people to continue to support the party.
Mr Makinde saud the victory of the party in Saturday’s by-election in Oyo state showed that the party was not dead.
“In most other places of the 12 states, PDP came second in each of those. It is an indication to us that if we continue to work hard, if we continue to strive hard, if we continue to bring our people together, we will get to a point where Nigerians will really start listening to us.
NAN reports that the meeting, called under the auspices of the PDP Zoning Committee, chaired by Mr Diri was also attended by former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Bode George and BOT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara.
Also in attendance are former Governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom), former senator, Ben Obi, a former Minister, Jumoke Akinjide, among other stakeholders.
Wike’s loyalists kick, shun meeting
However, leaders of the PDP in the south believed to be loyalists of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, were conspicuously absent at the meeting.
They had earlier in the day dismissed the Lagos meeting as “illegal” and “exclusionary.”
In a statement titled; “Re: Purported Meeting Of PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit,” the leaders said; “The attention of the undersigned State Chairmen of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from the South and some critical stakeholders has been drawn to a meeting nichodimously summoned in Lagos today 21st August 2025 by some persons purporting to do so on behalf of PDP Members of the South tagged “PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit” convened by the Admin Secretary, Zoning Committee of the PDP at the behest of the Chairman Zoning Committee (H.E Senator Duoye Diri) at the Legend Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
“The said meeting tagged “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 highly regrettable and indeed deeply disturbing that such a meeting was convened 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 several national officers, eminent leaders, and critical stakeholders of the PDP. 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 and denied participation in a meeting where such far-reaching and sensitive decisions on zoning, power rotation, and political equity are to be discussed.
“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 a 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.”
They further stated that since its inception, the PDP has been anchored on the values of inclusivity, equity, consultation, and collective responsibility, adding that any process that deliberately sidelines key stakeholders, ignores the legitimate authority of national officers, and excludes elected leaders and ranking lawmakers erodes trust, fuels division, and threatens party cohesion at a time when unity is most needed.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we categorically dismiss any resolutions, communiqués, or outcomes purportedly emanating from this meeting as neither binding on, or reflective of, the collective will and aspirations of the PDP family across Southern Nigeria.
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Decisions reached in secrecy and exclusion cannot and shall not assume the authority of consensus,” the leaders said.
The statement was signed by some state party chairmen. They are Austin Nwachukwu (Imo), Abraham Amah (Abia), Venatius Ikem (Cross River), Aniekan Akpan ( Akwa Ibom) and Aaron Chukwuemeka (Rivers).
Others who signed the statement are the National Vice Chairman (South-east), Chidiebere Goodluck and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda.