2027 Presidency: Wike’s Southern Zoning Demand Splits PDP Leadership
By Dapo Akinrefon, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Luminous Jannamike
Abuja —
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is grappling with internal discord as party chieftains clash over Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike’s proposition to zone the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
Wike, backed by a group of stakeholders and former G-5 governors, recently convened a meeting in Abuja, where the group advocated southern zoning and reaffirmed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.
However, party leaders including National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, former Deputy National Chairman Chief Bode George, and Board of Trustees member Jones Onyereri, have offered conflicting responses to the move.
Onyereri, speaking to Vanguard, criticized the recent National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, stating it was improperly convened and lacked legitimacy due to the absence of an official notice from the National Secretary.
He emphasized: “The meeting was null because only the National Secretary, Senator Anyanwu, is constitutionally authorized to issue such notices. He didn’t, and even confirmed the cancellation.”
He added that stakeholders reaffirmed Anyanwu’s legitimacy and upheld the PDP’s zoning principle favoring a southern candidate in 2027.
Meanwhile, Chief Bode George warned against public airing of internal matters, urging restraint. “We don’t take family discussions to the marketplace. We have an NEC meeting scheduled for June 30—let’s wait.”
National Organising Secretary Bature appeared to downplay the division, noting the communique from Wike’s group largely aligns with party positions. He acknowledged the controversy over the NEC meeting but said no binding decisions were made, hence no crisis.
PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed the party would formally respond to Wike’s position in due course, stating: “There is a structure and a committee handling this. The party will react appropriately.”
In a related development, former Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose reaffirmed loyalty to the PDP, but expressed concern. “Without urgent action, PDP risks becoming a political carcass,” he warned during a visit to President Bola Tinubu in Lagos. Fayose urged President Tinubu to continue his reforms and dismissed rumors of his defection to the APC.
