Chief Bode George, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has issued a stern warning that the party could face imminent collapse if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar clinches its 2027 presidential ticket.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, George stated, “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.”
Atiku, who ran as the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, came second to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Despite several unsuccessful attempts over more than 30 years, Atiku has remained a constant figure in Nigeria’s presidential races, having contested under various party platforms six times.
Recently, the former vice president led efforts to form a broader opposition alliance.
On March 20, 2025, a coalition involving Atiku, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, and others was announced as a united front to challenge the Tinubu administration.
The coalition is relying on the cumulative electoral strength of Atiku and Obi from the 2023 elections, where they secured over 12 million combined votes—well above Tinubu’s official tally.
However, PDP governors distanced themselves from the coalition, rejecting any talk of mergers or alliances. Their decision was announced on April 14, 2025.
During his appearance on the programme, Bode George praised the governors’ move.
“They are now putting on their thinking caps,” he said, supporting the rejection of Atiku’s coalition effort.
George also criticized Atiku’s leadership approach within the party.
“No, if he is the leader of the party, he would have waded into it (the crisis),” he said, referring to ongoing internal conflicts within the PDP.
“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.”
Asked if Atiku might emerge as PDP’s candidate in 2027, George was emphatic in his response: “He cannot be. This is what I am saying. There was eight years in the north, there should be eight years in the south. That is the dictate, that is the doctrine of the PDP. I can’t say he cannot contest; he can go to any party because it is his constitutional right but as far as we are concerned, he cannot be the candidate.”
He referred to the PDP constitution to back his position.
“There are rules. Section 7, Sub-section 3C of our constitution. It states that once the presidential candidate has been in the south for eight years, it had to go to the north. And after another eight years, it would come to the south. Is Atiku from the South-West, South-South or South-East?” he queried.
