Fresh crises in PDP, as ‘southern leaders’ disown Lagos zoning meeting

A group claiming to be Southern Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) have distanced themselves from an alleged meeting scheduled to hold today in Lagos, aimed at making decisions on the zoning of party offices ahead of the party’s November elective national convention.

Kingsley Chinda, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives at the National assembly, made the disclosure during a press briefing in Abuja, on Thursday.

Chinda, attributed this to the “unanimous decision and a resolution reached by some key southern leaders of the party including State Chairmen of Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers Stats, as well as former governors, national assembly members, present and past members of the party’s national working committee NWC, among others.

According to him, the meeting tagged” PDP southern consultative summit” was convened on behalf of the three southern geopolitical zones by the party’s Admin secretary, zoning committee on the behest of the chairman of the committee, Governor Duoye Diri, of Bayelsa State.

Chinda lamented that the Diri led zoning committee has “deliberately excluded the ” Southern Leaders” adding that “actions such as this are likely to cause problems within the PDP and as such it is pertinent to address it in order avert such incidence”.

“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”

“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 the same with full force.”A source close to the party’s National Working Committee NWC, while reacting to the development, told BusinessDay that the action was long expected as ” some people working for Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister, in the PDP had threatened to truncate the November 15 and 16 elective national convention, scheduled for Ibadan”

The PDP chieftain who did not want his name in print said ” Two things are involved here; first, is the fact that Wike group are not comfortable with Governor Duoyi Diri as the leader of the party’s Zoning Committee; secondly, they are also not comfortable with the choice of Ibadan as the venue of the convention, because they feel it will give an undue advantage to Governor Seyi Makinde.

“Do not forget that whether true or false, Governor Makinde is said to be nursing a Presidential ambition in 2027 and as you know, Wike is working for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

” So, just like they have succeeded in doing to other opposition parties, they will do anything to ensure that the PDP is not stable enough to be able to present a formidable candidate that will challenge Tinubu, in 2027″

The PDP chieftain noted that the”President Tinubu’s political Machinery are surprised that the PDP has survived all the machinations so far aimed at destroying the party”

He added that this hurdle may ” make or mar the party”.

He however expressed the hope that the party will overcome its challenges if it can workout a zoning formula that will be fair and acceptable to all the stakeholders.

“We just hope and pray that the party will be able to survive this last hurdle, as only a fair and acceptable zoning plan, acceptable to all the stakeholders, will silent all oppositions”.