Chief Bode George, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, has issued a stern warning against the potential emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, the PDP chieftain said that allowing Atiku to clinch the party’s ticket would spell doom for the opposition party.
“If he (Atiku) picks it (PDP’s ticket), that is the end of this party. If he picks it by manipulation, which was what was done the last time, we will not accept it,” George said.
Atiku, who has been contesting for Nigeria’s president for over three decades, came second in the 2023 presidential election, defeated by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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Ahead of the 2027 election, Atiku has been a key promoter of an opposition coalition aimed at unseating the Tinubu-led government. The coalition, unveiled on March 20, 2025, features notable political figures such as Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Together, Atiku and Obi garnered over 12 million votes in the 2023 elections, a numerical strength that the coalition hopes to leverage going forward. However, the initiative has not received unanimous support, even within the PDP.
In a major blow to Atiku’s efforts, PDP governors on Monday, April 14, 2025, publicly rejected the coalition, asserting that the party was not contemplating any merger or alliance with other political parties.
Chief Bode George praised the governors for distancing the PDP from what he described as Atiku’s personal agenda.
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“If he were the leader of the party, he would have waded into it (the crisis). The fact that he was the presidential candidate of the party at the last election doesn’t mean he is a bona fide, fixated leader of the party. If he’s running for his private interest, it’s different from the interest of the party,” George said.
Responding to whether Atiku could still fly the PDP flag in 2027, George was unequivocal in his rejection.
“He cannot be. This is what I am saying. There were eight years in the north; there should be eight years in the south. That is the dictate; that is the doctrine of the PDP,” he stated.
While acknowledging Atiku’s constitutional right to run for office under any party, George insisted that the PDP must field a southern candidate if it hopes to stay true to its zoning principles.
He further emphasized his opposition to a second term for President Tinubu, stressing that the PDP must reclaim power in 2027 with a candidate from the South.
“I don’t want Tinubu to be re-elected in 2027. I want my party to win — but with a southern candidate,” he declared.