A group of prominent leaders within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including several state chairmen, former governors, and National Assembly members, have rejected a meeting scheduled to hold today in Lagos aimed at discussing the zoning of party positions.
In a press statement, the leaders dismissed the “PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit” as illegitimate, stating that any resolutions or outcomes from the meeting would not be binding on the party’s members in Southern Nigeria.
They criticised the organisers for a lack of inclusivity, highlighting that key stakeholders were deliberately excluded from the meeting.
The statement was signed by the PDP State Chairmen of Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states, as well as the National Vice Chairman (South-East) and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
Other signatories included several senators, former national officers, and legal advisers.
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Titled “Re: Purported Meeting Of PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit,” the statement expressed deep concern that the meeting was convened without inviting many state chairmen from the South East and South South, the National Secretary, the Deputy National Legal Adviser, and other critical stakeholders.
The leaders noted that former governors and principal officers of the party from the region were also sidelined.
They argued that such a process, which “deliberately sidelines key stakeholders” and “ignores the legitimate authority of national officers,” is a violation of the party’s foundational principles of inclusivity, equity, and collective responsibility.
The statement warned that the exclusionary approach risks creating disunity within the party at a time when unity is paramount.
