Fresh divisions have broken out in Nigeria’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as southern leaders bicker over the zoning of national offices before the party’s November convention.
While Bayelsa governor Douye Diri and Oyo governor Seyi Makinde led a Lagos summit of southern stakeholders, another bloc in Abuja – aligned with Federal Capital Territory minister Nyesom Wike – denounced the meeting as exclusionary and unconstitutional. State party chairmen from Rivers, Abia, Imo, Akwa Ibom and Cross River signed a communique describing the summit as “deeply disturbing”.
The controversy points to a renewed struggle between Makinde, believed to be eyeing a presidential run in 2027, and Wike, who has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid. Both were central to the PDP’s G5 faction that weakened Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 campaign.
Party professionals under the Conference of PDP Professionals defended the Lagos summit, insisting it was properly convened and attended by governors, national officers, BoT members and legislators. They accused Wike’s allies of attempting to derail preparations for the convention.
The zoning of offices has historically guided where the PDP’s presidential ticket is allocated, though that principle was abandoned in 2023 when the ticket was thrown open. Calls from figures like Jerry Gana to return the ticket to the South reflect ongoing attempts to lure back heavyweights such as Goodluck Jonathan and Peter Obi.
The zoning committee’s report will be tabled at the National Executive Committee meeting on August 25.
