The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in an attempt to salvage the once-largest political party in Africa on revealed its decision and move to zoning the party’s presidential ticket to the southern region of the nation.
As it awaits the party’s National Convention later this year, the PDP also declared that it has maintained its chairmanship position to the north and confirmed Umar Damagum as the National Chairman.
The decision was made at the conclusion of the PDP’s National Executive Council, or NEC, meeting that took place in Abuja on Monday, according to previous reports by NaijaEyes.
Before the key NEC meeting, feuding parties in the PDP were embroiled in a fierce battle for the soul of the party, with the subject of zoning of the party’s presidential ticket being a divisive problem affecting the party.
Recall that a prolonged leadership crisis developed in the PDP immediately when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the party’s presidential candidate in the last 2023 presidential election after the party threw its ticket available.
A former governor of Rivers State, and currently Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, other governors, and a host of other members, upset by the decision, turned against the party and worked against its presidential candidate.
Addressing journalists following the NEC meeting, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said that the decision followed the presentation of a report by the Zoning Committee chaired by Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri.
However, the resolution of the PDP has since drawn various comments from many Nigerians.
While some feel the current development opens a new chapter for the party, others called it as a “medicine after death.”
Wike’s camp says it’s too late
In a statement shortly after the decision of the PDP on zoning its presidential ticket to the South in 2027, Lere Olayinka,
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, said the decision came too late.
“Sadly, they know the truth. Wike simply said, take the chairmanship to the South if you want to gain the presidency, but they said no, they must take the two, and the PDP lost!
“They have realized the mistake they made in 2022 and are correcting it in 2025.
“But is it not too late already, bearing in mind that the only way the zoning can be justified is for the South to conclude its eight years, while the presidency returns to the North in 2031?” Olayinka queried.
“But today, the NEC resolved that since the National Chairman of the party is zoned to the North, the PDP 2027 Presidential ticket be zoned to the South. Has PDP not come back to eat its own vomit?” He asked.
NEC decision amounts to endorsing Tinubu’s reelection – Ex- presidential candidate
Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential contender and party chieftain, criticised the party’s choice to zone the presidency.
Olawepo-Hashim cautioned that the ruling is tantamount to endorsing President Bola Tinubu’s campaign for reelection.
The PDP chieftain spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, just after the National Executive Committee meeting.
Olawepo-Hashim termed the action as “unprecedented” in the history of the party, adding that the PDP had never prevented any area from contesting the president in the past conventions.
He said: “What has happened today is unprecedented. PDP has never zoned its presidential ticket before. It means if you are a northerner, you find another party.
“Let me tell you, this is my own position. The zoning of the presidency to the south is a default campaign for the return of President Asiwaju.
“This is because those who are mounting this campaign of zoning to the south are the same people who are saying, we are in PDP, but we work for President Asiwaju.
“Look at all of them, almost all of them, the same people say, oh, we are in PDP, but we are committed to President Asiwaju’s reelection, and are saying zone it.
“So it’s a default campaign, for the PDP not to have a viable candidate by those people.”
Things falling in place – Onyia
However, a member of the Board of Trustees identified as Ejiofor Onyia stated that everything has begun to fall into place for the party, which is in contrast to the opinion of Wike’s camp and others.
Additionally, Onyia charged that the FCT minister was employed by the ruling All Progressives Congress, or APC, an opposition party.
Onyia made these remarks on Monday while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme.
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