PDP zoning report retains old formula as NEC meets to ratify ahead of the November convention, despite internal rifts and Wike-led opposition
PDP zoning report will officially be presented today at the 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, as the Peoples Democratic Party navigates fresh internal disputes ahead of its planned national convention in November.
Also read: PDP Zoning Committee Inauguration Signals Strategic Shift
The zoning committee, chaired by Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri, with Zamfara’s Dauda Lawal as vice chair and Plateau’s Caleb Mutfwang as secretary, has reportedly recommended retaining the existing zoning formula.
Under this arrangement, the North and South will continue to hold their current positions within the National Working Committee (NWC).
Party insiders confirmed that the NEC, scheduled to convene by 2 PM today, is expected to ratify the zoning report.
At a recent South stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, southern PDP leaders assigned key positions within their region:
- Deputy National Chairman and National Publicity Secretary to South-South
- National Secretary and National Auditor to South-West
- Deputy National Secretary and Financial Secretary to South-East
With backing from Governor Seyi Makinde, Oyo State secured the influential role of National Secretary, while Akwa Ibom landed the Publicity Secretary slot.
The NEC had earlier approved November 15–16 for the National Elective Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa will chair the National Convention Committee, with Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun and Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu serving as vice chair and secretary, respectively.
But internal tensions remain unresolved. FCT Minister and former Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike warned that ignoring outcomes from the South-South Congress in Calabar could incite a new crisis.
“Before you talk about the convention, resolve the matter. If not, there will be a crisis,” Wike said in an August 4 interview.
Wike’s camp, including House Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, rejected the Lagos micro-zoning process, deepening rifts in the southern bloc.
In contrast, the Forum of PDP Youth Leaders, representing all 36 states and the FCT, publicly backed the NEC’s decisions on both zoning and the national convention.
“We are solidly with our party leaders,” said Jamilu Kalshingi, Chair of the Forum, during a press briefing in Abuja.
“The FCT Minister is just a member. The NEC and NWC have spoken, and nothing will change that.”
In a communiqué signed by Kalshingi and Secretary Boniface Brown, the group urged party unity and reaffirmed PDP’s status as Nigeria’s leading opposition party.
They praised the current NWC led by Ambassador Umar Damagum, whose tenure ends in December, and also commended the Board of Trustees (BOT) chaired by Senator Adolphus Wabara and the PDP Governors’ Forum under Governor Bala Mohammed.
While today’s ratification of the PDP zoning report is likely, the road to the November convention is paved with internal complexities.
Also read: PDP Zoning debate 2027 election Divides top Party Members
With key figures pulling in opposite directions, the PDP leadership must strike a delicate balance to preserve unity and position itself as a strong alternative to the ruling APC.
