Chief Bode George, a senior figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a member of its Board of Trustees, has expressed serious concern over the future of the party if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar becomes its presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television during the Politics Today program on Monday, George did not mince words. “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,” he stated firmly.
George, who has served the party in various capacities for decades, said the PDP is currently in a fragile state and cannot afford to be thrown into deeper internal division. He noted that Atiku’s constant bids for the presidency — spanning over 30 years — have yet to yield results and have instead continued to stir discontent within the party.
Atiku came second in the 2023 presidential race, losing to Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Since then, he has been working to build alliances aimed at unseating the ruling government in the next election. One such effort materialized on March 20, 2025, when a coalition featuring key political figures like Peter Obi and former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai was launched.
The alliance seeks to combine the votes Atiku and Obi secured in 2023 — over 12 million combined — to pose a stronger threat in 2027. But this plan hasn’t received full support within the PDP.
On April 14, 2025, the PDP governors publicly rejected the coalition, making it clear that the party has no current plans to merge or align with others under Atiku’s lead. George openly backed the governors’ decision and questioned Atiku’s leadership within the party.
“No, if he is 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 noted.
When asked whether Atiku still stands a chance of becoming PDP’s presidential flag bearer, George was direct. He said it’s time the presidency returns to the southern region in accordance with the party’s zoning arrangement.
“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,” he added.
George also mentioned that he does not want President Tinubu to return for a second term, but made it clear that the PDP’s chances in 2027 depend on a fresh southern candidate and not on another Atiku bid.
