Bode George, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, has warned that the party will collapse if former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar secures the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, SAVANNAH NEWSNOW REPORTS.
George, a member of the PDP board of trustees, appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.
“If Atiku were truly the leader of the party, he would have been fully involved in party affairs. The fact that he was the presidential candidate in the last election does not automatically make him a bona fide or permanent leader of the PDP,” he said.
“If he is pursuing his own private interest, that is entirely different from the interest of the party.
“He (Atiku) cannot be the presidential candidate of the PDP in 2027. I maintain that since the north has had the presidency for eight years, it is only fair and just for the south to have its turn for another eight years. That is the doctrine and foundation of the PDP.
“Now, I can’t say Atiku cannot contest—he has the constitutional right to do so. He can go to any other party and contest.
“But if he picks the PDP ticket in 2027, that will be the end of this party. I want to make it clear: if he (Atiku) secures the ticket (PDP) through any form of manipulation—as happened the last time—we will not accept it.”
Abubakar, the PDP’s flagbearer in the 2023 elections, was defeated by Bola Tinubu of the APC. Prior to the 2023 PDP primary election, some stakeholders, including five governors, advocated for the party’s presidential ticket to be zoned to the south, consistent with the party’s constitutional rotation policy.
Tensions escalated as former President Muhammad Buhari, a northerner from Katsina, was nearing the end of his second term in office, prompting some party members to withdraw their support for Atiku after he secured the presidential ticket.
Talks about forming a coalition to challenge the APC have gained momentum in recent times, especially with the 2027 elections looming, and opposition politicians have been engaging in strategic meetings to form a coalition, with the former vice-president taking the lead.
However, in a twist to the development on Monday, governors elected on the platform of the PDP ruled out the possibility of a merger or coalition with any other political party ahead of the 2027 elections.
