By Vincent Egunyanga, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faces fresh turbulence ahead of its November national convention as a powerful bloc loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has threatened to delegitimise the exercise unless the party leadership embraces fairness and compliance with existing court rulings.
Gathering late Monday night at Wike’s Abuja residence under the banner of the Eminent Leaders and Concerned Stakeholders of the PDP, the group, which includes former governors Samuel Ortom, Ayo Fayose, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, along with PDP National Secretary Senator Sam Anyanwu and other influential figures, insisted that the convention must reflect equity and inclusivity if it is to command credibility.
Reading the communiqué on behalf of the group, Ortom said the PDP was at a “defining crossroads,” stressing that unity could not be built on “disenfranchisement, exclusion, or the neglect of valid judicial pronouncements.”
He explained that the stakeholders were disturbed by lingering disputes in some state chapters.
He insisted that congresses in Ebonyi and Anambra, which the courts had nullified, must be re-conducted transparently to avoid further alienating members.
They also demanded that the long-delayed South-East zonal congress be held afresh, while urging the leadership to respect the outcome of the South-South congress in Calabar, which the courts had already validated.
The Ortom-led communiqué further clarified that the party must urgently address the situation in Ekiti by conducting a lawful local government congress in compliance with judicial directives.
Equally, the leaders drew a red line against micro-zoning of national offices beyond what was already agreed by the NEC, warning that tampering with the broader zoning formula would only inflame tensions.
Above all, they insisted that the national chairmanship must remain in the North Central, consistent with the zoning arrangement established at the 2021 convention.
“The PDP cannot claim to be an alternative for Nigerians while disregarding equity and the rule of law,” Ortom declared. “Any attempt to sideline valid members or manipulate zoning will render the forthcoming convention illegitimate.”
The meeting was attended by serving and former lawmakers, Board of Trustees members, and Rivers Assembly Speaker Phillips Aduda, underlining the weight of the faction’s position.
The timing of their intervention is significant. Just last week, the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) confirmed Umar Damagum as substantive National Chairman, zoned the 2027 presidential ticket to the South, and directed that national offices be micro-zoned within each region.
The Wike camp’s open rejection of this micro-zoning plan and its insistence on judicial compliance now sets it on a collision course with the NEC.
For many within the PDP, the November 15–16 convention in Ibadan is intended to be a reset, a chance to unify the opposition and chart a path to the 2027 elections.
But with the Wike bloc declaring that the gathering will be void if its demands are ignored, the stage is set for a showdown that could either salvage or shatter the PDP’s claim to being Nigeria’s steadfast opposition.
*PDP govs vow to enforce discipline, resist division
Meanwhile, governors elected on the PDP platform have, however, fired back, pledging to enforce discipline and warning against divisive tendencies.
Speaking on behalf of the governors at the inauguration of the National Convention Planning Committee in Abuja, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, stated that they were not afraid of any faction and would resist efforts to derail the party.
“We are not cowards, and we are not afraid of anybody. We cannot continue to allow people to take us to the slaughterhouse. Enough is enough. The keyword is discipline, and we will no longer tolerate impunity or arrogance within our ranks,” Mohammed declared.
