PDP Governors to Meet in Zamfara Amid Zoning Dispute and Party Tension
With the November PDP National Elective Convention fast approaching in Ibadan, Oyo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) finds itself at a critical crossroads. A faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has rejected a Southern Zoning Consultative meeting held in Lagos this Wednesday, deepening an already bitter internal dispute.
Sources within the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) revealed to sources that the PDP Governors’ Forum has scheduled a strategic gathering in Zamfara State, set for Saturday. Governors are slated to arrive in Gusau, Zamfara’s capital, on Friday to convene intense discussions focused on ensuring a smooth national convention.
The key agenda in Zamfara is to agree on a zoning formula that evenly distributes the 19 NWC positions between the North and South. This proposal, led by Diri’s 44-member zoning committee, will be tabled at the 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for next Monday. It is then the NEC’s responsibility to endorse, reject, or modify the recommendations
The Lagos Summit Sparks Southern Rebellion
The Lagos “Southern Zoning Consultative Summit,” convened by Governor Douye Diri-led zoning committee, saw attendance from notable leaders—including Governors Seyi Makinde and Douye Diri, former deputy national chairman Bode George, and BoT Chairman Adolphus Wabara. Yet, it also provoked sharp backlash.
A bloc of Southern PDP leaders—comprising state chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers, alongside National Assembly members and other stakeholders—publicly denounced the meeting. They dismissed its outcome as “neither binding on, nor reflective of, the collective will of the PDP family in Southern Nigeria,” condemning it for being “secretive, exclusionary, and illegitimate”.
Escalating Rift: Makinde vs. Wike
This episode highlights the intensifying rift between the camps of Governor Seyi Makinde and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. While Makinde defended the Lagos gathering as a legitimate consultative effort that advanced Southern unity, Wike’s allies rejected it outright.
Further, policymakers and critics are questioning whether the summit was aimed at preserving the status quo in party leaderships, even as Wike’s faction continues mounting resistance.
Stakes for the PDP
Zoning crisis: The split over horizontal (North–South) and micro-zoning (among Southern zones) threatens party stability.
Institutional trust: Accusations of exclusion and procedural breaches have eroded confidence in party structures.
Convention viability: The Ibadan convention hangs in the balance, with factions threatening parallel assemblies if the zoning outcome isn’t favorable.
