Fresh Crises In PDP, As ‘Southern Leaders’ Disown Lagos Zoning Meeting.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is grappling with fresh internal turmoil as a coalition of prominent southern leaders has publicly disowned a zoning consultation meeting held in Lagos on Thursday, 21 August 2025, labelling it “illegal, divisive, and unrepresentative.” The meeting, tagged the “PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit” and convened at the Legend Hotel in Ikeja by the party’s Zoning Committee under Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, aimed to discuss the allocation of key party positions ahead of the PDP’s national convention scheduled for 15-16 November in Ibadan.
In a strongly worded joint statement titled “Re: Purported Meeting of PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit,” signed by state chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers—namely Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah, Barr. Venatius Ikem, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Akpan, and Aaron Chukwuemeka—alongside National Vice Chairman (South-East) Hon. Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, House Minority Leader Hon. Kingsley Chinda, and Senators Igwe Nwagu, Mao Ohuabunwa, George Sekibo, and Mike Ama Nnachi, the leaders condemned the summit for excluding key stakeholders. They argued that the absence of several state chairmen, the National Secretary, Deputy National Legal Adviser, and most former governors from the South-East and South-South rendered the meeting’s outcomes “neither binding nor reflective of the collective will of the PDP family across Southern Nigeria.”
The dissenting leaders accused the conveners of operating in “secrecy and exclusion” to serve the “selfish ambitions of a select few,” describing the summit as premature since the Zoning Committee has yet to submit its report for ratification by the National Executive Committee (NEC). “Such a brazen disregard for established structures risks undermining the very foundation of our party,” they stated, warning that any recognition of the meeting’s resolutions would prompt “appropriate steps in line with our party constitution to resist same with full force.”
However, the Conference of Professionals in the PDP (CP-PDP) countered these claims, asserting that the summit was legitimate and well-attended by key southern stakeholders, including four PDP state governors, Board of Trustees members, and National Assembly representatives. In a statement by Protem National Coordinator Barr. Obinna Nwachukwu, the CP-PDP dismissed allegations of exclusion as “misleading” and urged disciplinary action against those spreading such claims, alleging interference by a prominent APC minister aiming to disrupt the PDP’s convention.
The summit, attended by figures such as Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, former PDP Deputy National Chairman Chief Bode George, and Board of Trustees Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, proceeded despite the controversy, with deliberations held behind closed doors. The dispute underscores deep divisions within the PDP over zoning arrangements for the 2027 elections, a sensitive issue that could shape the party’s electoral strategy and cohesion.
Southern leaders reaffirmed their commitment to fairness, justice, and equity, urging the National Working Committee (NWC) and NEC to disregard the Lagos meeting’s outcomes. They stressed that decisions affecting Southern Nigeria must be made transparently and inclusively to uphold the PDP’s democratic ethos. As the party navigates this crisis, observers warn that unresolved tensions could weaken its position ahead of the 2027 polls, highlighting the need for unity and dialogue to restore stability.
