Southern leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), comprising state chairmen, former governors, members of the National Assembly, serving and former national officers of the party, on Thursday distanced themselves from a zoning meeting held in Lagos, describing it as illegal, exclusionary and unrepresentative of the party’s collective interest.

The meeting, tagged “PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit,” reportedly convened at Legend Hotel, Ikeja, was said to have been organised at the instance of the Administrative Secretary of the PDP Zoning Committee, allegedly acting on the directive of its chairman, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.

But in a joint statement signed by state chairmen Austin Nwachukwu (Imo), Abraham Amah (Abia), Venatius Ikem (Cross River), Rt. Hon. Aniekan Akpan (Akwa Ibom) and Aaron Chukwuemeka (Rivers), alongside National Vice Chairman (South-East), Hon. Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. O.K. Chinda, the leaders warned that such gatherings would not be recognised.

Others who endorsed the statement include Senators Igwe Nwagu, Mao Ohuabunwa, George Sekibo, and Mike Ama Nnachi; former National Secretary, Rt. Hon. Onwe S. Onwe; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Barr. Okechukwu Osuoha, and former Ebonyi State Legal Adviser, Barr. Mudi Erhenede.

They expressed shock that such a meeting could be convened without the courtesy of inviting state chairmen from the South-East and South-South, as well as key national officers, including the National Secretary and Deputy National Legal Adviser. Even more disturbing, they noted, was the exclusion of serving and former governors, as well as principal officers of the National Assembly, from the region.
“It is highly regrettable and indeed deeply disturbing that such a meeting was convened without the courtesy of inviting several state chairmen… Shockingly, the Minority Leader in the National Assembly and other principal officers of our party from the South-South and South-East were also deliberately sidelined,” the statement read in part.

They added: “Equally concerning is the deliberate omission of most former governors from the South-East and South-South, who, by every standard of history, pedigree, and institutional memory, remain critical stakeholders in any conversation about the future direction of our party. Such brazen disregard for established structures and statutory organs of the PDP not only offends the spirit of collective decision-making but also risks undermining the very foundation upon which our party was built.”

The leaders insisted that the purported Lagos parley was premature, stressing that the zoning committee set up by the party’s 101st National Executive Committee (NEC) was still working on its report, which is expected to be submitted to the NEC for ratification.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we categorically dismiss any resolutions, communiqués, or outcomes purportedly emanating from this meeting as neither binding on, nor reflective of, the collective will and aspirations of the PDP family across Southern Nigeria. Decisions reached in secrecy and exclusion cannot and shall not assume the authority of consensus,” the statement warned.

While reaffirming their commitment to the unity and electoral fortunes of the party, the stakeholders urged all genuine leaders to resist attempts to manipulate zoning arrangements through “clandestine manoeuvres.”

They cautioned: “Take notice that where any iota of regard is given to the outcome of the purported meeting, we shall not hesitate to take appropriate steps in line with our party constitution to resist same with full force.”

The statement further reiterated that the South-East, South-South, and South-West remain united in their pursuit of fairness, justice, and equity, principles they described as the bedrock of the PDP’s relevance and credibility since its formation in 1998.