Chief Bode George, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, has warned that the party will face its demise if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar secures the PDP’s presidential ticket for the 2027 election. “If he picks it by manipulation, as was done last time, we will not accept it,” George stated on Monday.
Atiku, the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate who placed second behind President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been pursuing Nigeria’s presidency for over three decades across multiple parties. Recently, on March 20, 2025, Atiku led the formation of an inter-party coalition with figures like former Anambra governor Peter Obi and ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, aiming to unseat Tinubu, whose administration faces criticism for economic mismanagement amid record-high inflation and living costs.
The coalition hopes to leverage the combined 12 million votes Atiku and Obi secured in 2023, surpassing Tinubu’s total by over four million. However, PDP governors rejected the coalition on Monday, April 14, 2025, dismissing any plans for mergers. George praised the governors’ stance, accusing Atiku of failing to resolve the party’s internal crises. “If he is the leader, he would have waded into it,” he said, arguing that Atiku’s candidacy does not represent the party’s interests.
George emphasized PDP’s constitutional zoning policy, which alternates the presidency between Nigeria’s north and south every eight years. With the north having held power recently, he insisted the 2027 candidate must come from the south, questioning, “Is Atiku from the South-West, South-South, or South-East?” While acknowledging Atiku’s right to contest under another party, George maintained he cannot be PDP’s flagbearer.
Expressing his desire for a PDP victory in 2027 with a southern candidate, George also opposed Tinubu’s re-election, urging the party to unite for the upcoming polls.
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