A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and member of its Board of Trustees, Chief Bode George, has ruled out the possibility of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerging as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Monday, George said Atiku’s candidacy would contradict the PDP’s internal zoning arrangement, which mandates a power rotation between the North and South every eight years.
“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,” George stated.
“If Atiku emerges as the PDP candidate in 2027 by any means, the party will collapse.”
His comments come amid heightened political activity following the recent formation of a coalition by opposition figures, including Atiku, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, aimed at unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the next election cycle.
The coalition has already sparked controversy within the PDP, with the PDP Governors’ Forum on Monday distancing the party from the Atiku-led alliance, further fuelling internal debate about the party’s direction ahead of 2027.
Atiku was the PDP’s standard bearer in the 2023 presidential election, which he lost to Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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