PDP Must Zone 2027 Presidential Ticket to South East or Lose Our Support, Says Founding Member Dr. Eme Okoro

A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Eme Okoro, has urged the party to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South East, warning that failure to do so would cost the party the region’s support.

Speaking in Umuahia on Monday while addressing journalists on the internal crisis within the PDP, Okoro, a former Secretary to the Abia State Government, expressed concern that the party was steadily losing public trust due to what he described as imposition, impunity, authoritarianism, and disregard for internal agreements.

Okoro, who described himself as “one of the remnants in the PDP,” stated that the South East would not back any political platform that fails to recognize its rightful place in national politics. He maintained that equity and fairness demand that the PDP should allow the region to produce its next presidential candidate.

“PDP must zone the presidential ticket to the South East. Ala Igbo must produce the presidential candidate of any party that wants my support and that of the people. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past, and we should respect the principles of equity,” he said.

Reflecting on the PDP’s poor performance in Abia State during the 2023 general elections, Okoro said the party’s refusal to heed his earlier warnings against imposition and the violation of the Abia Charter of Equity contributed to its decline.

He also stated that he had no regrets supporting Governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party, despite being a PDP member, noting that his support was driven by Otti’s performance and commitment to governance rather than party affiliation.