By Rafiyat Sadiq
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing fresh internal crisis as disagreement over the zoning arrangement for the 2027 general election deepens among its southern leaders.
Party stakeholders from the South on Thursday dismissed as illegal a meeting convened in Lagos by Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa, who chairs the PDP zoning committee. The Lagos meeting, tagged “PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit”, was scheduled to deliberate on the party’s zoning formula ahead of 2027.
State party chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers, alongside former governors, serving and former members of the National Assembly, as well as National Working Committee members, rejected the meeting and any outcome from it.
READ ALSO:PDP Constitutes Zoning Committee Ahead of Convention
In a joint statement, the leaders said the summit was “convened without courtesy” as several state chairmen, national officers and ranking lawmakers from the South were excluded. They described the move as “clandestine and divisive,” accusing organisers of working to protect selfish ambitions.
The statement, signed by Imo PDP Chairman Austin Nwachukwu and his counterparts Abraham Amah (Abia), Venatius Ikem (Cross River), Aniekan Akpan (Akwa Ibom) and Aaron Chukwuemeka (Rivers), was also endorsed by National Vice Chairman (South-East) Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives O. K. Chinda, several senators and former national officers of the party.
The leaders maintained that the PDP was founded on inclusivity, equity and consultation, stressing that “any resolutions or communiqués from the Lagos meeting are neither binding nor reflective of the collective will of the PDP family across Southern Nigeria.”
They accused the organisers of sidelining former governors, principal officers of the National Assembly and other critical stakeholders whose input they described as vital to the party’s direction ahead of 2027.
Reaffirming their loyalty to the PDP, the stakeholders urged the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee to disregard the outcome of the Lagos meeting, warning that they would resist any attempt to manipulate the zoning process outside due process.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
