Bode George, the former deputy national chairman (south) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently expressed his belief that Nigeria might have faced significant instability had Atiku Abubakar won the presidential election in 2023.
During an Interview, George argued that the Nigerian populace would likely have rejected Abubakar, a northern candidate, as a successor to Muhammadu Buhari, who also hails from the north.
He emphasized that the established political convention dictates that the presidency should rotate to the south following a northern leader’s tenure. This convention was overlooked in the 2023 elections, which saw Bola Tinubu, a candidate from Lagos in the south, emerge victorious.
“If Atiku had secured the presidency, I would have chosen to remain at home, fully aware that his leadership would eventually unravel. The country simply wouldn’t accept it,” George stated.
He further elaborated, “Had he won that election, stability would have been a distant dream. With a northern president (Buhari) completing eight years, our tradition mandates that the next presidential candidate must come from the south.”
George also voiced his concerns regarding the PDP’s internal dynamics, alleging that the party’s zoning arrangements had been manipulated to ensure Atiku won the presidential nomination for the 2023 election.
He argued that this manipulation was a fundamental issue that led to the withdrawal of support from various party members after Abubakar claimed the primary victory.
“The moment we tampered with the process to favor Atiku, that’s when our troubles began. To ignore the existence of these issues is merely wasting our time,” George remarked.
Prior to the 2023 primary election, the PDP was rife with internal discord, as party stakeholders, including a faction of five governors, insisted that the presidential ticket be allocated to the south, adhering to the party’s rotation policy.
This demand intensified as Buhari, a northerner, neared the end of his second term. Ultimately, Atiku’s nomination as the PDP’s presidential candidate exacerbated the rifts within the party, according to George.
