Blog Details

•Wike’s group dismisses meeting as illegal  

•CP-PDP defends zonal stakeholders

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Segun James in Lagos

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, yesterday, disclosed that the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the south, had taken far-reaching decision expected to lead to wider consultations in the days ahead, preparatory to their national convention proposed to hold in Ibadan, the state capital.

But a group of some stakeholders loyal to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, including state chairmen of the party, former governors, National Assembly members, serving and former National Working Committee members of the party, as well as other stakeholders from the region have disowned the meeting.

This was as the Conference of Professionals in the PDP has confirmed that the leaders of the party in the South did not dismiss the stakeholders’ summit organised by the zoning committee in Lagos, contrary to misleading claims by some elements in the party.

Speaking at the meeting, Makinde, who was flanked by Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State; chairman of the Board of Trustees and former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara; and the deputy governor of Enugu State, insisted that Wike was not the issue right now.

“Personally, when people go low, or they go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. Nothing should stop us from consulting. Democracy is about the minority having their say and the majority having their way. That is democracy.

“So, we’re democrats, the south has taken far-reaching decisions, and in the days ahead, leading to our next wider consultations will also take place, and we are sure that those that have been saying all around that PDP is dead.

“That PDP is now a carcass, at least with the calibre of the people that you’ve seen here, sitting governors, former governors, leaders and elders, the former senate president, chairman of BOT, they are all here and committed to PDP taking back its rightful position in Nigeria,” he said.

The meeting also had in attendance Chief Bode George, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Dr. Fred Agbedi, former governor Emanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom, and Senator Ben Obi, among others.

Makinde explained further: “So, in the days ahead, some of the things discussed here, you’ll see them on pause. But you can see here. Go through a little bit of the people that are here.

“Governor Adeleke is here. He came back into this country, I believe this morning, and then he went straight to Osogbo to address some governance issues. But he said, look, whatever we decide here is with us.

“Governor Diri is here, Governor Peter Mbah, who couldn’t make it physically, sent the deputy governor, who is here. You have the chairman of our board of trustees here. You also have at least 12 of the 17 members of the zoning committee from the south.

“It’s one per state. So you have 12 states here. You have in each zone, you have rep members here, you have senators from each zone in the south, the three zones.

“You have BoT members from the three zones in the south. So, yes, I won’t say maybe the organisers will score 100%. You don’t score 100% in politics.

“And quite frankly, they are members of PDP. And consultation means you keep reaching out, you keep engaging. So, from this meeting, we will also reach out and engage and even do more.

“Exactly what are we trying to do? We’re trying to get all stakeholders, all tendencies in the PDP together so that we can give a credible alternative to Nigerians in the years ahead.”

On the zoning of offices, he said a decision on it was coming.

“It’s a next decision. This consultative meeting is not something that is statutory in the constitution of PDP.