According to Chief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar needs to wait till 2031 to run for president once more.
The PDP’s presidential candidate for 2023, Abubakar, was defeated by President Bola Tinubu, as the News Agency of Nigeria recalls.
A Southerner must hold the position from 2023 to 2031, according to George’s remarks on Wednesday, “because that is the reality of our country, PDP constitution, and our polity.”
“Even in 2027, Atiku will be 81 years and this is the time for him to embrace President Joe Biden’s concept of allowing the younger generation to run for the highest office in the land. I have nothing personal against Alhaji Abubakar. He is my friend but the truth must be told. By 2027, by God’s Grace, I will also be in my 80s.
“So, what am I looking for in public office as an octogenarian? The same principle should apply to Alhaji Abubakar. We all saw what American President, Joe Biden, did recently when he stepped down for Kamala Harris to contest the November presidential election.
“That is the hallmark of a statesman. Alhaji Abubakar should do the same so that in 2027, PDP will field a southerner as a presidential candidate,” George, a former military governor of Ondo State,” he said.
He claimed that after eight years in power, the former president Muhammadu Buhari, a native of Katsina State, just recently resigned.
He stated that “that is the reality of our country and our party’s constitution” and that the North could not gain federal control in 2027.
Zones and rotation must be preserved for justice, fairness, and equity, according to George’s interpretation of PDP Constitution Section 7, Sub-section 3 (C).
He added: “In our party, this is the right and logical thing to do in the present political circumstances.
“But if Alhaji Abubakar is desperate to contest again, I will advise him as a friend, a party man, and brother to wait till 2031. By then, he will be 85 years old.
“As loyal party members, we must continue to respect the PDP Constitution. Fair is fair. I joined the PDP in 1998 and I have remained in this party since.”
As a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and one of the party’s esteemed elders and reliable voices, the PDP chieftain claimed to have been chosen National Vice-Chair (South-West) and then Deputy-Deputy National Chairman.
He said: “I have not defected to any other party. While I was in Wadata Plaza, Alhaji Abubakar was in the Villa as Vice President. So, we know ourselves and the two of us know the principles guiding this party.
“We should not do anything that will destroy our party and the country. In 2027, the concept of Turn-by-Turn Nigeria Limited must be strictly followed by our party.
“PDP must look for a southerner to wrest power from the APC because that party of strange bedfellows wants to destroy this country, economically and politically.
“So, Nigerians are waiting for us to rescue them in 2027 but a southerner must lead the battle,” he said.
Regarding his stance on power rotation, Abubakar’s media advisor, Mr. Paul Ibe, called George ridiculous and referred to him as a tribal bigot.
“I read a report by one of Alhaji Abubakar’s media aides accusing me of tribalism, I just laughed. My best friend today is a Fulani man, Admiral Murtala Nyako.
“I was the Director-General of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Presidential Campaign Organisation for the 2007 elections. The late president trusted me. So, I cannot be accused of being tribalistic.
“I also served the military well. My records are there for all to see. But, you know in politics, people can say anything to tarnish your image. Despite that, the truth must be told. What you will not accept, don’t give to others.
“I can boldly say that I am a detribalised Nigerian and a committed member of the PDP. I don’t harbor any disdain or hate for Alhaji Abubakar or any other PDP member,” he said.
No matter whose ox gets gored, George asked all party members to “embrace and respect the entrenched principles of zoning and rotation, bestowed upon the party since inception in 1998.”
“The principles explicitly stipulate that, at the end of every eight years, all elective and party offices should change from the northern divide to the southern divide and vice versa.
“That is the position which I will continue to champion till thy kingdom come!” he said.
