Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has criticized calls for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to be zoned to the North, describing such demands as “selfish and manipulative.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Tuesday, August 26, George praised PDP governors and the National Executive Council (NEC) for their decision to keep the party’s chairmanship in the North while zoning the presidential ticket to the South.
“Unanimously, in that NEC meeting yesterday (Monday), we agreed to zone the ticket to the South for the next four years to complete the eight years in the South. But some individuals manipulate this because they want to grab power; it’s nothing but self-centredness,” George said.
He lauded the governors for their bold and fair resolution. “I must emphatically thank all our governors; they are respectable young men. They met in Gusau, faced the facts, and concluded that the chairman and president cannot be from the same zone,” he added.
George stated that this decision has ended what he called “existential imbecility” within the party and is fostering unity, noting that some defectors have already begun to return. “It’s refreshing to see us come together as one indivisible party. A divided house is a defeated house,” he said.
Addressing members who worked against the PDP in the 2023 elections—including Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde—George said the party would exercise patience before taking punitive action.
“As a political party, you will have all kinds of characters, and your ability to manage them will impact the electorate positively. We want to show we can be accommodating. You can disagree without being disagreeable. We’ve given these individuals time, but if they refuse to realign, then the sledgehammer will come down,” he warned.
On Monday, the PDP’s NEC formally zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South. Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has endorsed President Bola Tinubu as its candidate for the upcoming election.
