The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has inched closer to what many describe as a fresh beginning after it announced that its presidential ticket for the 2027 elections would be zoned to the south.
The move, according to party leaders, is intended to heal old wounds, draw back aggrieved members, and prepare the platform for a stronger showing in the next general election.
But political watchers caution that the party’s internal challenges are far from over, noting that the November national convention will be the real test of whether the former ruling party has regained stability.
Since its defeat at the centre in 2015, the PDP has struggled to present a united front, falling short in two successive election cycles.
Repeated quarrels over leadership positions, zoning, and control of the National Working Committee have left the party vulnerable to defections and weak at the polls.
The crisis over who occupies the office of national secretary nearly tore the party apart earlier this year.
At one point, three names — Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Hon Sunday Ude-Okoye and acting secretary Setonji Koshoedo — were all being paraded as the rightful occupant of the office.
That rift drew in powerful blocs, with FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, backing Anyanwu, while governors and the Board of Trustees rallied behind Ude-Okoye.
Even a Supreme Court ruling on the matter did not end the contest, as each camp insisted on its own interpretation.
The impasse stalled the 99th National Executive Committee meeting, which was meant to set the agenda for the party’s convention.
Alarmed by the possibility of further implosion, governors under the PDP Governors’ Forum mandated a reconciliation panel led by former senate president, Bukola Saraki, to seek political solutions.
The committee, which included governors and elder statesmen, chose dialogue over sanctions, warning that hardline tactics could worsen the crisis.
“From the beginning, the chairman of the committee, Dr. Bukola Saraki, advised that no action should push members to court,” a source familiar with the deliberations said.
The committee’s softer approach eventually cleared the way for the May NEC meeting, which proceeded without major confrontation.
Attention then shifted to zoning, a thorny issue that had divided the party in both the 2019 and 2023 elections.
In 2019, the north secured the ticket but failed to bring all blocs on board.
By 2023, southerners protested the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as candidate, with some governors openly withholding support after the then national chairman, Iyorcha Ayu, refused to step aside for a southerner.
The decision of Peter Obi to quit the PDP in 2022, citing zoning concerns, further exposed the cracks.
This time, however, the NEC adopted the recommendations of the Douye Diri-led zoning committee, which allowed all existing offices to remain in their current zones while rotating the presidential ticket to the south.
The arrangement, leaders said, was in line with the PDP constitution that emphasises fairness and equitable power sharing.
The decision has also been framed as an opportunity to rebuild ties with former president Goodluck Jonathan, Labour Party leader Peter Obi, and other southern heavyweights.
For Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, who has long been touted as a possible contender, the zoning offers a clear path to test his strength at the convention.
But not all are convinced that the new arrangement signals a turnaround.
Former Nasarawa State governor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, argued that the south is already dominated by President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“The APC and the president cannot be threatened by the PDP zoning its presidential ticket to the south-west,” Al-Makura said.
He maintained that the south-south is firmly in APC’s grip, while the south-west is Tinubu’s base, leaving only the south-east, where governors are already leaning towards the president.
Some youth groups in the north have also expressed displeasure, saying zoning was not in the original PDP constitution.
Alhaji Salisu Magaji, who leads the Arewa Youths for Sustenance of Democracy and Good Governance, said the decision was divisive.
“We as northerners are against zoning the ticket to the south. In 2003, late Abubakar Rimi contested against President Olusegun Obasanjo. The ticket was open then and it should remain open now,” he said.
Political analysts, however, see the matter differently.
Lagos-based lawyer, Michael Ibekwe, said what matters now is whether the PDP can demonstrate discipline.
“The party must show that it can take decisions and stick with them. It also has to prove it can rise above individual ambitions,” he said.
He added that reconciliation efforts must continue, especially to win back those who left because of genuine grievances.
For now, the focus is on the November national convention.
If successful, it may mark the turning point for the party ahead of 2027.
But if new cracks emerge, the PDP risks deepening the perception that it remains trapped in the same cycle of crises that has haunted it for a decade.
Discussion about this post