The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is once again engulfed in a storm as the race for its National Chairman crystallizes into a showdown between loyal PDP governors and the camp of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The zoning committee led by Bayelsa governor Douye Diri had thrown the chairmanship to the north but avoided micro-zoning, leaving a vacuum that has ignited a bitter struggle. On one side, the governors are backing former Kano governor Ibrahim Shekarau from the North-West. On the other, Wike’s camp is rallying behind former Benue governor Samuel Ortom from the North-Central.
The clash has spilled into the battle for the National Secretary’s office. A controversial memo signed by three zonal vice chairmen shifted the slot from the South-East to the South-West, strengthening the hand of Oyo governor Seyi Makinde. Wike’s allies, including outgoing National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, have rejected the move, accusing governors of a calculated plan to neutralize their influence.
But this fight is no longer about zoning or regional fairness. It is a struggle for the soul of the PDP. Wike and Ortom are both already working with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—a fact that many in the party view as betrayal. Handing over the PDP’s highest offices to their camp, insiders warn, would amount to selling out the opposition to the ruling APC, stripping the PDP of any credibility as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 elections.
The stakes are high ahead of the November 15–16 convention in Ibadan. Governors under Bala Mohammed, chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, insist the convention will proceed as planned and warn against intimidation. Wike’s loyalists, however, threaten to declare it invalid if their demands are not met. The Board of Trustees, through its leaders, has urged calm, stressing that while zoning must be respected, no zone should be barred from contesting.
At the heart of it all lies the defining question: will the PDP remain a genuine opposition platform under Shekarau, or will it collapse into Tinubu’s orbit through Ortom and Wike? For many party members, the Shekarau vs Ortom battle is not just about leadership—it is about survival.