By Luminous Jannamike

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Rt. Hon. Jones Onyereri has supported the decision to zone the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to the South.

He also backed the reaffirmation of Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary.

Onyereri, a former House of Representatives member, shared this during an exclusive chat with Vanguard in Abuja on Tuesday.

The zoning decision was advocated during a meeting of PDP stakeholders called by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in Abuja on Monday.

The meeting, held under the banner of ‘Concerned Stakeholders of the PDP,’ was attended by former G5 governors (except Seyi Makinde) and other key party members.

Onyereri criticised the recent National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, saying it was not properly organised.

He explained, “The issue is that it wasn’t properly convened. According to Section 47, subsections 1, 2, 1, 3, and 5, or thereabouts, it’s clearly stated that only the National Secretary has the authority to send out correspondence on behalf of the party.

“The National Secretary, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu, didn’t issue any notice to members about the meeting. In fact, he even wrote to confirm that the meeting had been cancelled. So, I believe that’s the crux of the matter, it wasn’t properly convened.”

He stressed the stakeholders’ commitment to following the party’s constitution and resolving internal issues.

“Eminent stakeholders from across the country have reaffirmed that Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu is the duly elected and substantive National Secretary. A communiqué has been issued to that effect. Additionally, we’ve always emphasised that the PDP must adhere to its constitution, which supports the principle of zoning,” he said.

On the zoning of the presidential ticket to the South, Onyereri stated, “In this regard, we’ve allways stated that the zoning for the forthcoming presidential election should favour the South. That was included in the communiqué, which was read out yesterday.”

Recall that during the meeting, stakeholders, including former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, highlighted the role of the G5 in stabilising the party. The G5, a group of governors who opposed the PDP’s 2023 presidential ticket, warned against greed and ego, urging unity to prevent the party from falling apart.

Vanguard News