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A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has slammed calls for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to be zoned to the North, labelling such demands “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 retaining the party’s chairmanship in the North while zoning the presidential ticket to the South.
“Unanimously, at 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 human beings manipulate because they want to grab power—it’s nothing but self-centredness,” he said.
George commended the governors for what he described as a bold and fair move. “I must emphatically thank all our governors; they are respectable young men. They held a meeting in Gusau, told themselves the truth, examined the facts, and resolved that there’s no question of the chairman and president being from the same zone,” he added.
According to him, the decision has ended what he termed “existential imbecility” in the party and is already fostering unity, with some defectors returning. “It’s refreshing to see us come together as one indivisible party. The more divided a house is, the more defeated it becomes,” he said.
On members who worked against the PDP in the 2023 general elections, including Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, George said the party would not rush into punitive action.
“As a political party, you will have all kinds of characters, and your ability to manage them will positively impact the electorate. We want to show that we can be accommodating. You can disagree without being disagreeable. We’ve given these characters some time, but if they cannot roll back and fall in line, then the sledgehammer will be brought on them,” he warned.
The PDP’s NEC, on Monday in Abuja, officially zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South. Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has adopted President Bola Tinubu as its candidate for the election.
