Fresh cracks have emerged within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the camp loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has rejected the Southern Leaders’ Zoning Consultative meeting held in Lagos on Wednesday.
A reliable source within the PDP National Working Committee told newsmen that the PDP Governors’ Forum will meet in Gusau, Zamfara State, on Saturday, August 23. The governors are expected to arrive in the state capital on Friday ahead of deliberations on key issues that must be resolved to ensure a smooth national convention in Ibadan.
While Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and some of his counterparts are pushing for the convention to go ahead as scheduled in line with the party’s constitution, divisions have deepened over the zoning process.
The zoning committee, chaired by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, has continued consultations across regions since its inauguration on August 14. As part of that effort, it convened with Southern stakeholders in Lagos.
But in a joint statement signed by PDP chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers states, alongside National Assembly leaders and other stakeholders, party leaders dismissed the Lagos meeting.
They declared that any resolutions, communiqués or outcomes from the gathering “are neither binding on, nor reflective of, the collective will and aspirations of the PDP family across Southern Nigeria.”
