The reconciliation move comes amid renewed turbulence within the PDP following recent calls by key stakeholders for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to be zoned to the South
2027: Saraki Meets Makinde as PDP Zoning, Leadership Crisis Deepens
The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) reconciliation efforts gathered pace on Tuesday as the Bukola Saraki-led committee met with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde in Ibadan, in a bid to resolve the party’s lingering internal crisis.
Saraki, a former Senate President and chairman of the PDP strategy and reconciliation committee, visited the governor at the Government House in Agodi. This marks his second meeting with Makinde since assuming leadership of the committee.
While the meeting was held behind closed doors, insiders suggest it focused on the upcoming PDP convention and the urgent need to unify the party’s warring factions.
According to a source familiar with the development, “The party will hold its convention in Kano in August and the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting by the end of this month. There is a need to bring all the warring factions together under one umbrella. Makinde is a major factor to be reckoned with in the party, hence the importance of carrying him along.”
Saraki later confirmed the meeting via Facebook, posting:
“Thank you, Your Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, for making time to meet with us today—even though it coincided with your wife’s birthday. Warm wishes to Her Excellency Mrs. Tamunominini Makinde. Following today’s meeting, we remain cautiously optimistic as we forge ahead to secure a common position among the leadership of our great party.”
The reconciliation move comes amid renewed turbulence within the PDP following recent calls by key stakeholders, including Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to be zoned to the South. Wike, along with members of the influential G5 governors group, made the call during a meeting in Abuja earlier this week.
Wike also criticized the treatment of National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, saying he had been unfairly sidelined by some PDP governors. “Peace can only reign in the party if its constitutional provision on rotation is upheld,” he declared.
The Bayelsa State chapter of the PDP has thrown its weight behind Wike and the G5, describing the Abuja parley as critical to the party’s survival. In a statement signed by Publicity Secretary Derri Alasuote Wright, the chapter affirmed support for zoning the presidential ticket to the South and endorsed Anyanwu as the authentic National Secretary.
“We fully endorse the resolutions reached at the meeting,” the statement read. “As a state chapter, we stand by our recognition of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the PDP and state that there is no vacancy requiring any replacement whatsoever.”
It added: “Bayelsa State PDP reaffirms its loyalty to the resolutions of this meeting and remains steadfast in its support for Nyesom Wike as our national leader, as well as our endorsement of Samuel Anyanwu. Together, we will forge ahead with renewed vigour to restore the PDP to its rightful place as a beacon of hope and justice for our people and nation.”
However, not everyone within the PDP is on board. Director-General of the PDP Campaign Council for the November 2024 Ondo Governorship Election, Eddy Olafeso, dismissed the Abuja meeting as unofficial.
“That was not a PDP stakeholders’ meeting; they will be correct to say that they are concerned individuals,” he said, calling for unity within the party.
With its convention fast approaching and internal fractures deepening, the PDP faces mounting pressure to heal its divisions and present a united front ahead of the 2027 general elections. Read More
