2027 presidency: South to produce PDP candidate – Bode George reveals

Elder statesman and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has declared that the party will present a presidential candidate from the southern region in the 2027 general elections.

George, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees and former military governor of Ondo State, made this known in an interview.

George disclosed that following the party’s review of its internal crisis over zoning and the fallout of the 2023 presidential election, the PDP had reached a firm decision to rotate the presidency to the South in 2027.

“The communique after our post-election review meeting was written by Prof Jerry Gana. It was agreed and signed that though mistakes were made in 2023, we will not repeat them. The presidency will return to the South in 2027,” George said.

He reiterated the party’s constitutional commitment to zoning and rotation of elective and party offices as enshrined in Section 7(3) of the PDP constitution.

Reacting to concerns about Nigeria’s slide toward a one-party system, George dismissed the idea as laughable and unsustainable.

“One-party state is a huge joke. It can never happen. What is democracy if not the management of national resources for the people’s benefit? Has APC delivered succour to the people?” he asked.

He also expressed deep concern over the country’s flawed electoral process, describing it as one where “the will of the people cannot be respected because manipulators are everywhere.”

Commenting on the trend of PDP governors and politicians defecting to the APC, George attributed it to political immaturity.

“Most of them are new in politics. Let them learn. But when the people decide to revolt against injustice, no one should stand in their way,” he warned.

George also addressed the influence of former Rivers State governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in PDP affairs. He accused Wike of exploiting a loophole created by the party’s internal disorganization.

“He found himself in an opportunistic environment. But there is a higher being watching. The constitution of our party was ignored, especially regarding zoning elective offices,” George said.