Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy National Chairman Bode George has cautioned against permitting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to run for the party’s presidency for the fourth time in 2027, stating that doing so will be disastrous for the opposition gathering.
PDP stakeholders were warned by George in an interview with The Guardian that running Atiku would ensure yet another electoral defeat in the upcoming general election.
The PDP chieftain reportedly chastised Atiku for excluding the South from the 2023 presidential campaign, claiming that this caused animosity within the party and the G-6 governors, led by former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, to rebel against the PDP’s nominee.
Atiku has little regard for the interests of the South. What does it say if while he was in charge, the South-West received nothing and he even dared to promise us anything after the election, which we turned down? “What?” George asked.
Additionally, he cautioned that another Northerner winning the PDP ticket in 2027 would be a smack in the face and an act of deception.
No sane Southerner would passionately support a Northern candidate in 2027, Geroge stated. That is something I will never undertake until 2031, when the South must have finished its eight years.
George says Obi cannot win without the PDP.
George said that Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), could only achieve his goal of becoming president under the PDP.
According to the PDP leader, “I have nothing against Obi.” Despite his Southern roots, the Labour Party is actually too weak nationally to compete with Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
“Only the PDP has the strength, support, and taproot to overcome the APC.” Tinubu’s reelection won’t be as simple as some people think, in my opinion. His defeat in 2027 is possible, but only if PDP leaders act morally and uphold justice, equity, and fairness.
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Nyesom Wike was also urged by George to change his position against the PDP.
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Even though you and others may have suffered, you should put the good of the nation ahead of your personal grievances, he said. Together, we must reconstruct Nigeria.
The PDP mainstay denounced the federal government’s meddling in state politics, cautioning that if care is not taken, its meddling in the affairs of Lagos, Rivers, and Osun States, as well as the Emirate struggle in Kano, might turn into a national security crisis.
“The Federal Government’s excessive interference in these states’ internal affairs is risky. He cautioned that it is a warning sign that could result in further instability in the nation.
George stressed that Nigeria needs to adopt true federalism and undergo constitutional reforms as a long-term solution to its problems.
George went on to say that fixing the basic issues with the 1999 Constitution is the best way to deal with the numerous issues that Nigeria is currently facing. Restructuring Nigeria is necessary to attain true federalism.
