PDP HEAVYWEIGHTS ISSUE SIX-POINT DEMAND AHEAD OF NATIONAL CONVENTION. (PHOTO).

 PDP Heavyweights Issue Six-Point Demand Ahead of National Convention

As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prepares for its national convention, influential party leaders have issued a six-point demand to the National Working Committee (NWC), warning that failure to comply could invalidate the convention and deepen internal divisions. The demands were outlined during a high-powered stakeholders’ meeting held at the residence of Federal Capital Territory Minister and former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike in Abuja on Monday night.

The meeting, attended by former governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), along with PDP National Secretary Senator Sam Anyanwu, emphasized the need for the PDP to return to principles of equity, fairness, and inclusivity to remain a credible opposition. In a communiqué signed by Ortom and released early Tuesday, the leaders cautioned that ignoring their demands would disenfranchise legitimate members and render the convention invalid.

The six demands include:

1. Conducting fresh congresses in Ebonyi and Anambra states in compliance with court judgments.

2. Urgently holding a new South East Zonal Congress.

3. Respecting the court-upheld outcome of the South South Congress in Calabar.

4. Immediately conducting Ekiti LGA congresses per judicial pronouncements.

5. Avoiding micro-zoning of offices beyond the general zoning formula adopted by the National Executive Committee (NEC).

6. Retaining the national chairmanship in the North Central zone, consistent with the 2021 convention zoning arrangement.

The stakeholders described the PDP as being at a “defining crossroads,” warning that sidelining valid members or ignoring judicial rulings would exacerbate divisions. “Unity cannot be built on disenfranchisement, exclusion, or the neglect of valid judicial pronouncements,” the communiqué stated, urging transparency and fairness to ensure a credible convention.

With the 2027 general elections looming, the intervention by Wike, Ortom, Fayose, Ikpeazu, and others signals mounting pressure on the PDP leadership to address internal crises and restore unity. The leaders stressed that the party’s foundation of inclusivity, fairness, and justice must guide its actions to reclaim its position as Nigeria’s leading opposition.