Prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South have stated the party has not reached a decision on whether the South will produce the next presidential candidate.

This is as they stated that the National Executive Council (NEC) will on Monday discuss the zoning of the presidential ticket among other matters.

They also maintained that the party would not get into the gutters with the Minister of FCT, Nyesome Wike, noting that efforts will be made to reconcile all aggrieved members of the party.

“When people go low, or they go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. We will reach out to everyone,” Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State said on Thursday at a PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit held in Lagos.

Other attendees include: Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State, and Peter Mba of Enugu State, represented by deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai; former Senate President Adolphus Wabara; former National Deputy Chairman Bode George; South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee, Emma Ogidi; Southwest Zonal Chairman, Kamorudeen Ajisafe; Former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Former Governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel; Former Governor of Ebonyi State, Sam Egwu and Former Speaker of Oyo State, Jumoke Akinjide, among other notable party leaders.

The members maintained that with a strong party in place, the PDP aims to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative and ultimately wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Makinde said that the party’s priority is to build a strong and functional structure before considering the zoning of the presidential candidate.

He said, “We need to have a functioning political party first before we start talking about presidential candidates. If we don’t have a party, anything that we’re trying to do will fall flat.

“So our efforts right now are directed towards having a strong and united PDP that Nigerians will be proud of and will believe in.

“We are sure that those who have been saying all around that ‘PDP is dead, PDP is now a carcass,’ at least with the calibre of the people that we have here today, and they are committed to PDP taking back its rightful position in Nigeria.”

He stated that the consultative meeting is not something that is statutory in the constitution of the PDP, saying democracy is inclusivity, reaching out and ensuring that all stakeholders are carried along.