The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has elected Engineer Adedeji Doherty as its South-West Zonal Chairman, completing a round of congresses across the region that the faction says has restored order to a party still emerging from one of its most turbulent internal crises in years.

Doherty, a former Lagos State PDP chairman, emerged by consensus alongside 16 other zonal executive members at the South-West Zonal Congress held in Ikeja, Lagos, with delegates accredited from all six South-West states — Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Lagos, Osun, and Ekiti.

The Chairman of the Congress Committee, Mr Olalekan Rotimi, said delegates agreed on a consensus arrangement in line with the Electoral Act and the PDP constitution. After presenting the consensus list and conducting voice votes, Rotimi affirmed the elected executives. Other members of the new zonal executive include Oluwole Omotaye as Secretary, Clement Adefemi as Organising Secretary, Obe Gbolaro as Treasurer, Oluwakayode Gbadamosi as Financial Secretary, Akin Oyeniyi as Publicity Secretary, and Oyeniyi Akinloye as Youth Leader. Folake Marcus-Bello, a former Nigerian Ambassador to The Gambia — was elected Woman Leader, with Wale Ogunmodede as Auditor and David Adedamola as Legal Adviser.

In his acceptance speech, Doherty framed the moment as one of sacrifice and loyalty. “Those of you that are here today really love PDP. Staying with this party at this critical time shows your genuine love for the party. It is not because of personal gains but for the good of the country. Before us is a big responsibility and we accept to serve with all our strength,” he said.

Doherty signalled an aggressive mobilisation drive ahead of 2027. “We are going to mobilise people into the PDP in the South West. PDP has the stamina to take over anything in the country,” he declared, adding that the new executive would tour all states in the zone to consolidate structures and rally supporters.

The Wike-aligned faction’s congress adds a new layer of complexity to the PDP’s already fractured internal landscape ahead of next year’s general elections. The opposing PDP governors’ bloc has rejected the Wike faction’s consensus approach to appointing party officials, while the Wike-backed faction’s congress committee chairman in Ondo struck a reconciliatory tone at a separate state congress, saying there are “no more factions” in the party and that the door remains open for aggrieved members to return. “We want peace to reign, we want reconciliation. We had the crisis, we had the misunderstanding, but it has been settled,” the chairman said.

Wike himself has publicly insisted the PDP is united, dismissing claims of division ahead of the party’s national convention.

The two factions, one led by the Wike-backed NWC under Acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed with Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, and the other by the Dr Kabiru Turaki-led NWC are under mounting pressure to reconcile before the 2027 electoral cycle makes their divisions fatal to the party’s prospects.