PDP NEC to Receive Zoning Report Today Amid Convention Tensions

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will today (Monday) receive the much-anticipated report of its zoning committee at the 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, a development coming at a time of heightened internal disputes over preparations for the November national convention.

The zoning committee, chaired by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri with Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal as vice chairman and Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang as secretary, was inaugurated in July to distribute the 19 National Working Committee (NWC) positions between the North and South.

According to multiple party insiders, the committee recommended retaining the current zoning formula. “From the report we have seen, the zoning committee upheld the current zoning formula. The South has already micro-zoned its offices to the geopolitical zones, while the North will finalise its own arrangements after the NEC,” a PDP NWC insider disclosed.

At a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos last Thursday, southern leaders distributed key positions, 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. With the influence of Governor Seyi Makinde, the National Secretary was micro-zoned to Oyo, while Akwa Ibom secured the Publicity Secretary slot.

The NEC, scheduled for 2pm today, is expected to ratify the zoning report. This comes as the tenure of the acting NWC led by Ambassador Umar Damagum winds down in December. To ensure a smooth transition, the party’s 101st NEC had earlier approved November 15–16 for the National Elective Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, with Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Fintiri chairing the Convention Committee, supported by Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke as vice chairman and Enugu Governor Peter Mbah as secretary.

But the arrangements have not been without friction. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has warned against ignoring the resolutions of the South-South Congress in Calabar, insisting that unresolved grievances could spark a fresh crisis. “Before you talk about the convention, resolve the matter. If the matter is not resolved, there will be a crisis,” Wike said in a television interview on August 4. Some of his loyalists, led by House Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, also rejected the Lagos micro-zoning outcome.

In contrast, PDP youth leaders from all 36 states and the FCT declared full support for the NEC’s zoning decisions and the Ibadan convention. Addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Chairman of the Forum of PDP Youth Leaders, Jamilu Kalshingi, stressed their loyalty. “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,” he said.

Kalshingi further dismissed Wike’s opposition, adding: “The FCT Minister is just a member of the party, like any other member. The NEC and NWC have taken a decision, and nothing will change that.” In a communiqué co-signed with secretary Boniface Brown, the youth leaders urged members to stay united, praising the Damagum-led NWC, the BOT under Senator Adolphus Wabara, and the PDP Governors’ Forum led by Governor Bala Mohammed for strengthening the party.

As the NEC meets today, party stakeholders hope that adopting the zoning committee’s report will stabilise the PDP and project unity ahead of its November convention, even as internal disagreements linger.