Chief Olabode George has told Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President, to forget vying as the PDP presidential candidate in 2027.
The PDP chieftain and member of the party’s Board of Trustees made the statement during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television program aired on Monday, April 14, 2025.
George, a prominent voice within the party, noted that the PDP’s internal zoning arrangement does not support a northern candidate in 2027.
He believes that if the party goes against this system, it may face serious consequences.
“Atiku can’t be the PDP presidential candidate in 2027. Our internal zoning policy makes it compulsory to be eight years for the South and North. If Atiku emerges as the PDP candidate in 2027 by any means, the party will collapse,” George warned during the live broadcast.
His comments came shortly after the PDP Governors’ Forum openly rejected the coalition recently formed by Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 polls.
The former Vice President of Nigeria has been the face of the PDP in two previous presidential elections—2019 and 2023—but was unsuccessful both times.
President Muhammadu Buhari defeated him in 2019, and in 2023, it was Bola Ahmed Tinubu who emerged victorious.
Recently, Atiku teamed up with Labour Party’s Peter Obi and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai to form a political coalition.
The group has declared its intention to challenge President Tinubu in the next general election.
However, critics within the PDP are not on board with Atiku’s continued dominance in the party’s affairs.
