Politics
South West PDP has begun to mobilize against Atiku’s 2027 Presidency
A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, says former Vice President Atiku Abubakar must wait till 2031 if he wants to contest for president again.
This Nigeria news platform recalls that Abubakar, the PDP Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general elections, lost to President Bola Tinubu.
George, in a statement on Wednesday, said that a Southerner must occupy the office of the President and Commander in Chief from 2023 to 2031 “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 the President Joe Biden 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 same so that in 2027, PDP will field a southerner as a presidential candidate,” George, a former military governor of Ondo State, said.
According to him, the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner from Katsina State, just left office after ruling for eight years.
He said that power at the federal level could not go to the North in 2027 because “that is the reality of our country and our party’s constitution”.
George said that Section 7, Sub-section 3 (C) of the PDP Constitution stated that zoning and rotation must be maintained for justice, fairness and equity.
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.
“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.”
The PDP chieftain said that he was elected National Vice-Chair (South-West) and later, Deputy-National Chairman and now, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and one of the respected elders and credible voices of our party.
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.
George described as laughable, a report by Abubakar’s media adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, calling him (George) a tribal bigot, over his position on power rotation.
“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 harbour any disdain or hate for Alhaji Abubakar or any other PDP member,” he said.
George urged every member of the party to” embrace and respect the entrenched principles of zoning and rotation, bestowed on the party by our founding fathers since inception in 1998, “no matter whose ox is gored.
“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.
Politics
See list of APC Delta stakeholders holding meeting in Abuja on power sharing formula with Oborevwori
Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has rubbished Ikenga Ugochinyere, the House of Representatives member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in Imo State, as a habitual liar.
Olayinka made the remarks in response to Ugochinyere’s recent demand that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) expel both Wike and the party’s embattled National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu. Ugochinyere had also advocated for the removal of PDP’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, insisting these actions were crucial to resolving the party’s internal crisis.
In his statement, Ugochinyere warned of an impending crisis, urging the NWC to take swift action:
“To prevent this looming disaster, the NWC must urgently convene an emergency meeting and, with or without Damagum, use their majority to expel Anyanwu—the party’s political traitor—and confirm the appointment of a substantive National Chairman from the North Central region.”
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In a sharp rebuttal during an interview with Daily Post, Olayinka labeled Ugochinyere a “political Hushpuppi,” accusing him of exploiting political platforms for dubious motives.
“Ugochinyere embodies the lies and deception troubling the PDP,” Olayinka said.
“He’s nothing more than a political Hushpuppi, constantly on the lookout for a platform to carry out his Yahoo Yahoo brand of politics.
“Soon enough, when the PDP needs him, he’ll be nowhere to be found.”
A former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, Valentine Ozigbo, said he did not regret his decision to dump the Labour Party (LP) for the APC.
Ozigbo, who defected to the APC ahead of the party’s governorship primaries, lost the ticket to Nicholas Ukachukwu. He said he dumped the LP because he was not comfortable with what was going on in the party.
Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Friday, the former LP chieftain justified his defection to the ruling party, saying he explored all options, but his concerns were not addressed.
Asked if he regrets dumping the LP, Ozigbo said, “I have no regrets whatsoever.”
On the gale of defection that hit the Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State, the governorship aspirant said different politicians have different reasons for defecting to another party.
“Some of them are genuine considerations, either because of lack of internal party mechanism to resolve issues fairly and equitably, that can actually push somebody out, and then some others may find other reasons. Some noble, some not so noble,” he stated.
According to Ozigbo, he decided to join the ruling APC because the main opposition parties were dysfunctional.
“I put all the parties on the table, and I did my introspection. I prayed about it, I engaged as much as I could. And for me, there are only two options we have in this country today, either be in the mainstream party and see how you can orchestrate the change that you’re looking for, or be part of opposition. I see a very dysfunctional position,” he said.
He maintained that his reason for joining the APC was noble, adding that his defection to the party was predicated on his mission to connect Anambra to the center.’
“I am here for noble reasons. I’m here because I prioritize Anambra people first. I’m here because I also prioritize God, and I felt that there’s one party that can enable us not just get the victory, protect the mandate, connect Anambra to the center and eventually achieve better dividends of democracy, and ultimately, I have a better country,” Ozigbo said.
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