The Southern zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said they have taken far-reaching decisions on zoning of elective offices in the party. Speaking at the Southern Zonal Consultative Summit in Lagos, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, said the decisions would be released to the public in the days ahead, leading to the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Monday, August 25.

“We just finished the consultative meeting of the PDP zoning committee for the south. And 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 NEC, wider consultations will also take place. And we are sure that those that have been saying all around that PDP is dead, PDP is now a carcass, at least with the calibre of people that you’ve seen here, sitting governors, former governors, leaders and elders, a former senate president, chairman of BoT.

“They are all here and committed to PDP taking back its rightful position in Nigeria. So in the days ahead, some of the things discussed here, you’ll see them unfold.” Speaking on the earlier statement released by the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda at the meeting, Makinde said all the zones in the southern PDP were represented at the meeting.

According to him, all the PDP governors from the zone are represented at the meeting, indicating approval by all stakeholders. “Yeah, but you can see here. Let me just go through a little bit of the people that are here. Governor Adeleke is here. He came back into this country this morning. And then he went straight to Osogbo to address some governance issues. But he said, look, whatever we decide here, he is with us.

“Governor Diri is here. Governor Peter Mbah, who couldn’t make it physically, sent the Deputy Governor 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.

And these are 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.

“Because what is exactly what we’re 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. “This consultative meeting is not something that is statutory in the constitution of PDP. But democracy is inclusivity, reaching out, and ensuring that all stakeholders are carried along, which is what we’ve done today. You will definitely have a decision.

“We need to have a party first before you start talking about presidential candidates. If we don’t have a party, anything that you’re trying to do will fall flat. So, our effort right now is directed towards having a viral and united PDP.

That Nigerians will be proud of and again will believe in,” he said. Reacting to the threat by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, that the meeting should not hold, Makinde said they will not join issues with him. “Personally, when people go low or they go into the gutters, I don’t go with them.

“There is a person out here. It should be about what we are giving to Nigerians because they are watching. In Oyo State, they showed last Saturday that PDP is not dead. In most other places of the 12 states, PDP came second in each of those. It’s some indication to us that if we continue to work hard, if we continue to strive hard, if we continue to bring our people together, we will get to a point where Nigerians will really start listening to us.”

Earlier before the southern summit meeting, PDP state chairmen in Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers, and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, described the meeting as illegal. They insisted that any resolutions, communiqués, or outcomes purportedly emanating from the meeting shall not assume the authority of consensus.

Other southern leaders that attended the Lagos meeting include Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State; Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ossai; Chairman PDP Board of Trustee, Adolphus Wabara; former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Ebonyi State governor, Sam Egwu; former Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel; and former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Chief Bode George, among others.