Gov Makinde, Says He Wont Go Into The Gutters To Fight Fellow Party Members As PDP Consultative Meeting Ends In Lagos

The consultative meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the southern zone has ended in Lagos.

The meeting focused on deliberations over zoning arrangements ahead of the party’s forthcoming congresses.

Speaking shortly after the meeting, the Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde dismissed insinuations of personal animosity with fellow party leaders.

In a veiled criticism of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Makinde said he wont go into the gutters with fellow party members.

“Personally, when people go low or go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. Some people are not going into the gutters. We will reach out to them. That is democracy. I can disagree with people, but there shouldn’t be anything personal here. It should be about what we are giving to Nigerians because they are watching,” Makinde said, adding that the PDP remained a formidable political force despite recent challenges, pointing to its strong showing in last Saturday’s by-elections.

According to him, "In all our states, they showed last Saturday that PDP is not dead. In most other places of the 12 states, PDP came second. It is an indication to us that if we continue to work hard, we can reclaim the confidence of Nigerians.” 

Commenting on zoning the 2027 presidential ticket, the governor noted that discussions on the issue were premature, pointing out that the immediate focus should be on rebuilding the party’s strength.

“We haven’t even gotten there. We need to have a party first before you start talking about presidential candidates. If we don’t have a party, anything you are trying to do will fall flat,” he said 

Makinde further said the Lagos meeting was widely represented, noting the presence of many governors, BoT members, senators, as well as House of Representatives members. He, however, admitted that political consultations rarely achieve 100 percent attendance, but stressed that outreach to absent stakeholders was ongoing.

Among those in attendance at the consultative summit, held at the Legend Hotel in Ikeja, were the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara; Chairman of the PDP National Zoning Committee and Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri; Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke; and Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ossai, who represented Governor Peter Mbah.

They also, included former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; elder statesman, Chief Bode George; Senator Monsurat Sunmonu; alongside 12 of the 17 PDP National Assembly members from the South.

Meanwhile, PDP leaders aligned with the Wike camp had earlier dismissed the Lagos summit as “illegal” and “exclusionary.”

Earlier in a joint statement, party chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers States—Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah, Venatius Ikem, Aniekan Akpan, and Aaron Chukwuemeka—along with National Vice Chairman (South-East), Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, and House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, announced their withdrawal.

“Decisions reached in secrecy and exclusion cannot and shall not assume the authority of consensus,” the statement declared, accusing the Lagos organisers of sidelining several state chairmen, national officers, and former governors from the South-East and South-South.

The dissenting camp stressed that the Lagos meeting was an attempt to pre-empt the work of the Diri-led zoning committee, inaugurated only last week by Acting PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum. The committee is expected to harmonise positions ahead of the PDP’s elective convention scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.