Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Southern Nigeria have rejected a meeting scheduled to hold in Lagos today, describing it as unrepresentative and exclusionary.
The meeting, tagged the “PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit”, was convened by the party’s Zoning Committee at the Legend Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
However, State Chairmen, former governors, National Assembly members, and other key party stakeholders from the South East and South South zones said they were neither invited nor consulted.
In a statement on Thursday, the State Chairmen of Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers—Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah, Venatius Ikem, Rt. Hon Aniekan Akpan, and Aaron Chukwuemeka—alongside National Vice Chairman (South-East) Hon. Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. O.K. Chinda, said the meeting’s outcomes should not be recognized.
“The PDP has always stood for inclusivity, fairness, consultation, and collective decision-making. Any meeting that ignores key leaders and elected officials breaks trust, causes division, and threatens party unity. We therefore reject any outcomes from this summit as neither binding nor representative of the PDP in Southern Nigeria.
“The meeting is also premature and seems aimed at serving the interests of a few, especially since the Zoning Committee has not yet submitted its report for party approval.”
“We remain fully committed to the unity, stability, and success of the PDP. We urge all leaders and stakeholders to resist any attempts to manipulate zoning through secretive or unfair methods.
“The South East and South South, together with the South West, stand united in promoting fairness, justice, and equity. As custodians of our members’ mandate, we will defend the integrity of the party and ensure that any decisions affecting Southern Nigeria are made openly, consultatively, and inclusively,” the statement added.
The Southern PDP leaders urged the National Working Committee (NWC), the National Executive Committee (NEC), and all party stakeholders to ignore the outcomes of the Lagos meeting, describing them as illegal and divisive.
They warned that if any consideration is given to the decisions from the meeting, they will take all necessary actions in accordance with the party’s constitution to oppose them to the last.