PDP’s Zoning System Under Fire: Wike Warns of 2027 Election Disaster

PDP’s Zoning System Under Fire: Wike Warns of 2027 Election Disaster

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has sounded a warning bell for his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stating that it stands little chance of winning the 2027 presidential election against President Bola Tinubu if it fails to reform its zoning system.

Wike made the assertion during a live media parley on Monday, citing the party’s non-adherence to its constitutional provisions regarding the zoning of the Chairmanship and Presidential candidacy. He noted that the party’s failure to follow its own rules and traditions had led to its downfall in the 2023 general elections.

The PDP’s zoning system is designed to ensure that the party’s leadership and candidacy are rotated among the six geo-political zones of the country. However, Wike alleged that some members manipulated the system for selfish interests during the 2023 elections, resulting in the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate and Iyorchia Ayu as chairman, both from the northern zone.

“If PDP does not take care, and I say it again, watch out for what will happen,” Wike warned. “Selfish interest can kill an organisation. You have not won an election; you are excluding people. Let us tell ourselves the simple truth; in 2023, we told the party, it is in our constitution, it is in our tradition, when these people take the chairman, these people will take the Presidential Candidate. Because of selfish interests, they manipulated the system.”

Wike’s warning comes as the PDP is still reeling from internal strife and conflicts that deepened after the 2023 elections. The party has been plagued by leadership disputes, including a clash between Governor Sim Fubara and former Governor Wike in Rivers State, and the unresolved vacancy of the National Secretary since December 2024.

The PDP’s internal divisions have intensified despite interventions from the party’s top organs, including the National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, NEC, and the Governors Forum. The party has also suffered a series of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), including the notable shift of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, ex-Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and other key officials.

Wike defended the governor’s move, noting that his declaration of support for President Tinubu was not a crime. “When people talk about the governor of Delta State and his predecessor, and their team moving out of PDP to APC, what wrong did he do? That he said he was going to support Tinubu, the President, is a crime?” Wike asked.

The Minister also faulted what he described as impunity within the party, adding that the PDP, as an opposition party, was yet to organise itself to take over the helm of affairs. “In anything you are doing, if you do not have the right leadership, this is what you will suffer.

For Christ’s sake, no opposition party worth its salt will act with impunity. It is only a ruling party, normally, because they are in power, that acts with impunity. Opposition does not do that, because opposition is going to organise itself to say I can take over the helm of affairs of government.”

As the PDP grapples with its internal challenges, Wike’s warning serves as a wake-up call for the party to reform its zoning system and restore its internal democracy. The party’s failure to do so may indeed spell disaster for its prospects in the 2027 presidential election.