Former deputy national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has warned his party againt the plan to field a northerner as the presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
He said such move would lead to destruction of the party and condemn it to garbage heap of history.
He noted that the founding fathers of the party set down a principle that political office should be rotated and it can’t be the turn of the North until 2031.
Chief George spoke after receiving an award from the national coordinator of the Mobilisation Committee of the party, Iteh Ubon. Ubon said the award was to mark the 25 years the party was formed and to appreciate him for his contribution to the growth of the party.
Ubon also used the occasion to tell Chief George that the party requires his service to ensure victory in subsequent elections.
While responding George said the first move to be taken in the party is to reconcile all aggrieved members and anyone thinking of the North producing the presidential candidate in 2027 would amount to shifting the goal post after the match has started.
He said the prayer and determination of every member of the PDP is for the party to win the presidential election in 2027.
He stated that it was not yet the turn of the North to aspire for the presidential position.
“It is our determination to ensure that the PDP returns to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on May 29, 2027. But, we can only go back to Aso Rock if we are united, not divided,” he said.
“A Northerner cannot be the presidential candidate of our party in 2027, pure and simple. The earlier some members pushing this agenda know this truth, the better for our collective sanity.
“I have nothing against Northerners. In fact, my best friend is from the North but PDP members must understand this reality before it is too late,” he said.
