A founding member and member of Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has warned that the party may face total collapse if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerges as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, the elder statesman insisted that Atiku’s return as the party’s flag bearer would spell doom, especially if achieved through manipulation.
“If he (Atiku) picks it, that is the end of this party. If he picks it by manipulation, which was what happened the last time, we will not accept it,” the PDP chieftain declared.
Atiku, who was the PDP’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, lost to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He has made multiple attempts at the presidency under various political platforms since the early 1990s.
Recently, the former vice president initiated a coalition with other opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai, aimed at unseating the current administration in 2027. The alliance, unveiled on March 20, 2025, is banking on the combined strength of the over 12 million votes recorded by Atiku and Obi in the last election.
However, in a twist of events, PDP governors on Monday, April 14, distanced themselves from the coalition, stating clearly that the party is not considering any merger or alliance.
Chief George welcomed the governors’ position, praising them for what he described as “putting on their thinking caps” and rejecting Atiku’s coalition.
He faulted Atiku’s leadership within the PDP, accusing him of failing to intervene in the internal crises that have rocked the party.
“If he is the leader of the party, he would have waded into the crisis,” George said. “The fact that he was the presidential candidate does not make him the automatic leader of the PDP. If he’s pursuing his personal ambition, that’s different from promoting the party’s interest.”
When asked directly if Atiku could return as PDP’s candidate in 2027, George responded firmly: “He cannot be. Eight years in the North, eight years in the South—that is the PDP doctrine. He can contest under any party if he wishes, but not in the PDP.”
He referenced the party’s constitution, specifically Section 7, Sub-section 3(c), which supports rotational presidency between the North and South, arguing that power should return to the South in 2027.
George, a long-time critic of Tinubu, also made it clear that he does not support the incumbent’s re-election, stressing that his desire is for a southern PDP candidate to emerge victorious in the next presidential poll.
