PDP zones presidential ticket to South as 2027 battle rages

 Planning ahead of the 2027 General elections, one of the major opposition parties in the Country, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned the Presidency to the Southern Nigeria, meaning that its Presidential candidate of the party can come from either South-West, South-South or South-East.

Under the zoning arrangements, the party also zoned the Chairmanship position to the North, with Umar Damagum, Ahmed Makarfi, Jerry Gana, Kau Baraje as likely candidates to battle for the position of party Chairman.

BusinessDay gathered that position of national secretary, national publicity secretary and others were zoned to the South.

Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State and Chairman of the PDP National Convention Zoning Committee had, shortly before the commencement of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, said the governors directed the Committee to also include the zoning of the president to their assignment.

At an interactive meeting with the members of the Committee, Governor Diri asked his colleagues to take the “assignment as priority that we are giving to our party and indeed to our country.

“The very first day we were inaugurated, we hit the ground running. We convened a meeting here and took far-reaching decisions about the zoning. And I’m sure that the Secretary will have captured what we did. And so the Secretary will also avail us with what we did.That is even there in the agenda. So we’ll do that.

“Over the weekend, the governors had a meeting in Gusau, Zamfara State and at that meeting, one of the decisions that was arrived on in that meeting is that we should not only zone the party offices, but as a national zoning committee, that we should equally zone the presidency, after we gave our reports”, the governor noted.

Governor Diri said all the party’s stakeholders were represented at the Zamfara meeting.

“The BOT and other organs of the party, including the former governors, and former ministers were represented”, he said.

He stressed that the constitution of party quoted in the appointment letters to members of the Committee, allows it to zone both the party offices and the presidency.

Governor Diri, while speaking with journalists, said the Committee was not set up to micro-zone position , but zone offices to North and South.

Umar Damagum, acting chairman of the PDP, stated that the party can no longer afford cracks within its ranks.

Speaking at the Board of Trustees, BoT meeting at the Headquarters of the party on Monday ahead of the NEC meeting, Damagum said following the crisis that engulfed the party in the recent past, unity is now the strongest message that the party can pass across to the nation, adding that is the only way the PDP can be “a credible, vibrant and dominant opposition alive and ready to challenge the misrule of the APC and to offer Nigerians the hope and leadership.”

Addressing members present, he said this particular BoT meeting carries special significance, because Nigeria is at the threshold of the National Convention and added that, “this responsibility before us is great, and the choices we make in the coming weeks will determine not only the immediate future of our party, but also the destiny of our nation. We must also pay close attention to the tone of the nation.”
He said amidst the faction that dogged the party, “we must consolidate our ranks in the light of the recent factional issues that emerge. While these distractions do not weaken our party’s image to achieve the intended effect, they remind us of the need for vigilance, dialogue and unity.

“We cannot afford internal cracks at such a critical time in the life of our nation. Equally, the sensitive issue of the national zoning committee must be handled with seriousness and inclusivity.

“Zoning has always been one of the pillars of balance, stability and fairness within our party, the decisions we take here today will significantly shape the confidence Nigerians place in our internal democratic processes”, he added.

Adolphus Wabara, Board of Trustees BoT Chairman, described the gathering as “not just another opportunity, it is a call for reflection, unity and renewed determination.”
He said the PDP has a proud history as the custodian of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.

Wabara, who was represented by Ahmed Makarfi, the BoT s?Secretary, commended members for their steadfast, commitment and resilience, even in the face of challenges.

“Once again, the hopes of millions of sovereign Nigerians are tied to our collective capacity to build to reconcile and to position this party ahead of 2027. However, if we are to succeed in 2027 we must embrace unity, sacrifice and reconciliation”, he submitted.

Cuelled from Business Day