Lere Olayinka: PDP zoning to the south vindicates Wike, G-5 governors

Lere Olayinka, senior special assistant on public communications and social media to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zoning decision for the 2027 elections vindicates his principal and the G-5 governors.

On Monday, the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) resolved to retain the national chairmanship in the north while zoning the presidential ticket to the south.

Olayinka said the formula mirrored the exact position taken by Wike and the G-5 in 2022, when they insisted that the presidential candidate and the national chairman could not come from the same zone.

“Now that the party has realised its mistake of not listening to Wike and the G-5 in 2022, and have chosen to do what they said, three years after, have they not been vindicated now?” he asked.

Olayinka recalled that the group had insisted that since Atiku Abubakar from the north emerged as the presidential candidate, Iyorchia Ayu, also from the north, should resign as chairman.

He said Atiku and his allies opposed the demand, a decision that led to the party’s defeat in 2023 and post-election crisis.

“But today, the NEC resolved that since the national chairman of the party is zoned to the north, the PDP 2027 presidential ticket be zoned to the south. Has PDP not come back to eat its own vomit?” he asked.

“Sadly, they know the truth. Wike simply said, take the chairmanship to the south if you want to gain the presidency, but they said no, they must take the two, and the PDP lost!

“They have realised the mistake they made in 2022 and are correcting it in 2025. But is it not too late already, bearing in mind that the only way the zoning can be justified is for the south to conclude its eight years, while the presidency returns to the north in 2031?” Olayinka added.