Wike’s Aide Says PDP’s Zoning Decision Vindicates Minister

Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South is a vindication of his principal’s long-standing call for equity and fairness within the party.

The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), meeting in Abuja last week, resolved that while the North would retain the chairmanship of the PDP, the presidency should go to the South ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reacting on Monday, Olayinka said the decision confirmed that Wike and the G-5 governors had been right all along in 2022 when they insisted on power rotation. He argued that the PDP’s refusal to heed that call in the build-up to the 2023 elections led to its electoral defeat.

“Now that the party has realised its mistake, have they not vindicated Wike and the G-5?” Olayinka said. “The PDP went into the last election with both the presidential candidate and national chairman from the North. That imbalance caused the misfortune the party suffered.”

The aide, however, questioned whether the new zoning formula would make a difference, describing it as “too late” and urging the party to allow the South to enjoy a full two-term cycle before power returns to the North.

“Zoning the ticket to the South now is like going back to eat one’s vomit. It is a correction, but is it not already too late? Equity demands that the South should be allowed to complete eight years before the pendulum swings back,” he said.

Olayinka recalled that Wike and his allies had demanded the resignation of then national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, after Atiku Abubakar emerged as the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate. Their demand was ignored, deepening the crisis that eventually fractured the party.

Analysts believe the latest zoning decision could reset political alignments ahead of 2027, with Wike’s influence in the South likely to shape the PDP’s fortunes. However, doubts remain as to whether the concession can heal the rift created by the events of 2022 and 2023.