25th August 2025
By Peter Omopo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will today, Monday, receive the report of its zoning committee at the 102nd meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC), as internal disagreements threaten preparations for the party’s national convention.
The zoning committee, chaired by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, with Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal as vice chairman and Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang as secretary, was set up in July to share the 19 National Working Committee (NWC) offices between the North and South.
Party insiders confirmed that the committee has recommended retaining the existing zoning formula, under which both regions maintain their current positions. The NEC is expected to ratify the report at its 2 p.m. session today.
At a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos last Thursday, southern PDP leaders micro-zoned key offices, allocating the Deputy National Chairman and National Publicity Secretary to the South-South, the National Secretary and National Auditor to the South-West, and the Deputy National Secretary and Financial Secretary to the South-East. Oyo State, influenced by Governor Seyi Makinde, secured the National Secretary slot, while Akwa Ibom got the Publicity Secretary position.
The tenure of the acting NWC led by Ambassador Umar Damagum expires in December. To ensure a smooth transition, the party’s 101st NEC had earlier fixed November 15–16 for its National Elective Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State. Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Fintiri will chair the convention committee, with Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke as vice chairman and Enugu Governor Peter Mbah as secretary.
However, the zoning arrangements have sparked controversy. Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has warned that ignoring the outcome of the South-South Congress in Calabar could trigger fresh disputes. Some of his allies, including House Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, have also rejected the Lagos micro-zoning agreement.
Despite the disagreements, PDP youth leaders from the 36 states and the FCT on Sunday declared total support for the NEC’s decisions. Speaking in Abuja, the Forum of PDP Youth Leaders, chaired by Gombe State’s Jamilu Kalshingi, endorsed both the zoning committee’s report and the Ibadan convention dates.
“We are solidly with the leaders of our party as it concerns the coming convention and zoning of party offices. We support the zoning committee, we support the convention dates, and we assure Nigerians that nothing will stop it from holding,” Kalshingi told journalists.
In a communiqué signed by Kalshingi and the forum’s secretary, Boniface Brown, the youth leaders dismissed Wike’s opposition, stressing that party organs had already taken binding decisions. They also praised Damagum’s NWC, the BOT led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, and the PDP Governors’ Forum chaired by Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed for fostering unity.
As the NEC meets today, party leaders are hopeful that adopting the zoning report will stabilise the PDP ahead of its convention, even as cracks within the ranks remain unresolved.
