Bode George: PDP Will Fail If Atiku Gets 2027 Presidential Nomination

Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has warned that the party will face failure if it selects former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the upcoming 2027 general election.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, George strongly opposed any move to reinstate Atiku as the party’s representative. He accused Atiku of undermining the party during the 2023 elections and stated that a recurrence of such manipulation would ultimately destroy the PDP.

“If he (Atiku) pursues this, it will signal the end of our party,” George stated. “If he attempts to assert himself through manipulation, as he did previously, we will not tolerate it.”

George emphasized that the PDP has an internal zoning framework threatened by Atiku’s ambitions, insisting that the party should uphold its power rotation principle after eight years of Northern leadership.

“After eight years in the North, we must have eight years in the South. This is the creed of the PDP. We need to be fair, equitable, and just,” he asserted.

George also remarked on Atiku’s recent collaboration with other opposition figures, including Labour Party’s Peter Obi and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, labeling it as strategically misguided and criticized the PDP governors for not being consulted.

He commended the governors for rejecting the proposed alliance and accused Atiku of failing to demonstrate effective leadership within the party.

“If he were a true leader, he would have engaged with the crisis. Just because he was the party’s presidential candidate last election does not make him the leader,” George stated.

While acknowledging Atiku’s legal right to seek election, George maintained that he should not do so on the PDP platform.

“He can pursue candidacy in other parties, which is his constitutional right, but as far as we are concerned, he cannot be our candidate again,” he reiterated.

Atiku Abubakar, who ran for president for the PDP in both 2019 and 2023, lost both elections. His desire to run again in 2027 has caused internal conflict, raising questions about whether his candidacy would unite or further divide the party.

George’s warning highlights the growing internal issues within the PDP as it seeks to reestablish itself ahead of the next election. With increasing pressure on the party to adhere to its zoning policy and present a unified front, its leadership must navigate the coming months carefully to avoid exacerbating existing rifts.

It remains to be seen if the party will act on George’s caution, but his remarks have opened up discussions about the PDP’s leadership and future direction.