*Governors may settle for Shekarau, FCT minister’s camp pushes for Ortom

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

As the November 16, 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) approaches, the governors elected on the party’s platform and the loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike are in fresh battle of wits for the positions of the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the main opposition party, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

THISDAY gathered that both the PDP governors and Wike’s camp are of the view that the next national chairman of the PDP should be a former governor, to command respect from party faithful.
However, following the failure of the Governor Douye Diri-led zoning committee of the party, which zoned the position of the national chairman to the North, to micro-zone it to any geopolitical zone, the governors may have settled for the former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, from the North-west.

On their part, Wike’s loyalists, who were formerly considering Hon. T.J. Yusuf from Kogi State as their candidate, are said to be rooting for the former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, from the North-central.
 Ortom was a former Benue State secretary of PDP, former deputy state chairman, and the National Auditor before he became a minister and governor for eight years.

THISDAY gathered that Ortom’s national chairmanship ambition is the reason the Wike’s camp is insisting that the national chairman should be retained by the North-central, and rejected the micro-zoning of the office to Shekarau’s North-west.
Investigation also revealed that the PDP governors and Wike’s group disagreed on the zoning of the office of the national secretary.

The three zonal chairmen of the party from the South have zoned the office of national secretary, which is currently in the South-east, to the South-west.
The party’s stakeholders are contending that since Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State could emerge as the presidential candidate of the party, it would be unfair to zone the office of the national secretary to the South-west.
Consequently, this position was swapped with the office of the deputy national chairman.

It was also for this same reason that the office of the national chairman was moved from the North-east, which is the zone of the outgoing national chairman, Ambassador Illya Damagum, due to the presumption that the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, who is from the same zone, could aspire to become Makinde’s running mate.
 With these developments, the office of the National Chairman was zoned to the North-west, while the zoning of the National Secretary to the South-west was also being reviewed.  

In a document sighted by THISDAY, the zoning arrangement was formalised in a memo dated September 1, 2025, and signed by the three National Vice Chairmen from the South – Dr. Ali Odefa (South-east), Ajisafe Kamorudeen (South-west), and Chief Emmanuel Ogidi (South-south).

In the document, the South-east was allocated the office of the National Financial Secretary (NFS), Deputy National Secretary (DNS), National Women’s Leader (NWL), and Deputy National Youth Leader (DNYL).

 The South-west got the positions of the National Secretary (NS), National Auditor (NA), and Deputy National Organising Secretary (DNOS)
 Also, the South-south was allocated the positions of the Deputy National Chairman–South (DNC-S), National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Deputy National Treasurer (DNT), and the Deputy National Legal Adviser (DNLA).
But the outgoing National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has kicked against the proposals by the three zonal chairmen.

He said he was unaware of the said zoning agreement in the South-east.
Anyanwu, who is Wike’s close political ally, told THISDAY that one of the signatories to the said letter, Ali Odefa, is no longer a member of the party.

But reacting to Anyanwu’s claim, Odefa, who signed the letter as the South-east zonal chairman, also told THISDAY that he would not join those who decided to go so low.
THISDAY gathered that Anyanwu kicked against the move to zone the party’s national secretary to the South-west, arguing that it could effectively tilt the balance of power in the party’s secretariat in favour of the South-west and boost Makinde’s presidential ambition.

Makinde is locked in a supremacy battle with Wike.
 Wike’s loyalists described the zoning of the offices as unfair and unacceptable.
The FCT minister’s camp had rejected any form of micro-zoning and called for an inclusive national convention where all would be allowed to contest in line with the zoning arrangements by Governor Diri’s zoning committee.

Competent sources told THISDAY that Makinde and the South-east stakeholders are lobbying to retain the office of the national secretary in their respective states.
 The contest for the national secretary was what nearly marred the recent stakeholders’ meeting of the PDP in Lagos.

 THISDAY gathered that the South-west is plotting that the deputy national chairman, Taofeek Arapaja, becomes the new national secretary, thus moving the deputy national chairman to the South-south
 The three zonal chairmen of South-east, South-west, and South-south in their jointly signed sharing letter have agreed to this.

THISDAY was told that the South-south is also rooting for the office of the National Publicity Secretary, which is currently held by Ondo State.
The office of the National Auditor currently held by Anambra State is said to have been zoned to Abia State.
The position of Wike’s camp is that Odefa can’t negotiate for the zone to the extent of signing the letter, having been sacked by an Ebonyi State High Court.

The minister’s loyalists also noted that Odefa has not challenged his sack by the High Court.
 In the South-east, the Wike’s camp said that the recognised South-east chairman is Chidi Ebere Egwu, as directed by the Ebonyi State High Court.
 Meanwhile, the Cross River State chapter of PDP has broken ranks with the Wike-led faction of the party by unveiling its chairmanship candidate for the September 27 Congress.

The party’s caucus in Cross River Central senatorial district on Thursday unveiled Tim Ekawu as their candidate for the forthcoming state congress, insisting that they have no apologies for taking the stand.
 With the latest development, the district has now joined the southern senatorial district, which had earlier on Wednesday also pledged its support for Ekawu, in defiance of the position of the state party caucus considered loyal to Wike.

Rising from their stakeholders’ meeting, the Central senatorial district caucus unanimously argued that Wike is now a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and is not in any position to dictate what happens in the PDP.
 In a communique signed by Anthony Edako, who is also the state secretary of the PDP, the caucus endorsed the party’s decision regarding the date and venue for the national convention.

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