Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Thursday, declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not reduce itself to the “gutter level” of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, just as he disclosed that the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) will take a stand on zoning and other issues during its meeting on Monday.
Makinde said this in Lagos during the stakeholders meeting of the zoning committee.
When asked if the issue of micro zoning was discussed, he said, “A decision is coming, and it is an NEC decision. 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.”
Further asked how soon a decisive decision on zoning is expected, he said, “NEC is on Monday. Today is Thursday. Our NEC is on Monday; you will definitely have a decision.”
On the issue about the South producing the next presidential candidate for the party, Makinde said, “We haven’t even gotten there. 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 efforts right now are directed towards having a united PDP that Nigerians will be proud of and again will believe in.”
Insisting that the party is focused on ensuring its survival, Makinde said, “We have just finished the consultative meeting of the PDP zoning committee for the south. 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 and is now a carcass, at least with the calibre of the people that you’ve seen here, sitting governors, former governors, leaders and elders, the former senate president, and the chairman of BOT, 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.
“Governor Ademola Adeleke came back into this country, and he went straight to Osogbo to address some governance issues. But he said whatever we decide here is with us.
“Governor Douye Diri is here. Governor Peter Mbah, who couldn’t make it physically, sent the deputy governor. 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, House of Representatives members here. You have senators from each zone in the south, the three zones.
