The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Thursday as key southern stakeholders dismissed a planned meeting on the party’s zoning formula for the 2027 general elections, describing it as illegal, exclusionary, and unrepresentative of the collective will of the party in the South.

The disputed meeting, tagged “PDP Southern Zoning Consultative Summit,” was reportedly convened in Lagos by the Administrative Secretary of the PDP Zoning Committee at the instance of the committee’s chairman, Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State.

However, in a strongly worded statement signed by party leaders across the South, including State Chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers — Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah, Barr. Venatius Ikem, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Akpan and Aaron Chukwuemeka respectively — as well as the National Vice Chairman (South-East), Hon. Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, and House of Representatives Minority Leader, Hon. O. K. Chinda, the summit was dismissed as “unlawful” and “engineered to serve the selfish ambitions of a few.”

The stakeholders accused the conveners of deliberately excluding key state chairmen, national officers, lawmakers, and former governors from the South-East and South-South. They argued that such a move not only undermines inclusivity but also threatens the unity and stability of the PDP ahead of 2027.

“It is deeply disturbing that a meeting of such magnitude was convened without inviting several state chairmen, national officers, principal lawmakers and former governors, all of whom remain critical stakeholders in shaping the direction of our party,” the statement read. “Decisions reached in secrecy and exclusion cannot and shall not assume the authority of consensus.”

The PDP leaders insisted that the Zoning Committee set up by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has yet to submit its report for ratification, stressing that any attempt to preempt the process would not be tolerated.

They urged the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and NEC to disregard any resolutions emanating from the Lagos summit, warning that they would “resist with full force” any attempt to legitimize its outcome.

Reaffirming their commitment to fairness, justice, and equity, the Southern PDP leaders called for transparent consultations in line with the democratic ethos of the party.

“The South-East and South-South zones, alongside our counterparts in the South-West, remain united in defending the integrity of the PDP. We will not allow manipulation of zoning arrangements through clandestine maneuvers,” they declared.

Political observers say the development highlights widening cracks within the opposition party, as influential blocs jostle to shape the zoning arrangement for the 2027 presidential election. With tensions already simmering, the rejection of the Lagos meeting underscores the fragile state of internal unity in the PDP.

For now, all eyes are on the PDP’s National Executive Committee to provide clarity on zoning arrangements and douse the flames of division, as the party seeks to reposition itself ahead of the next general elections.