A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to wait till 2031, if he wants to contest for president again.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate in last year’s general election, lost to President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement yesterday, George said a Southerner must occupy the office of the President and Commander-in-Chief from 2023 till 2031 “because that is the reality of our country, the PDP constitution, and our polity”.
He added: “Even in 2027, Atiku will be 81 years, and this is the time for him to embrace the President Joe Biden concept of allowing the younger generation to run for the highest office in the land.
“I have nothing personal against Alhaji Abubakar. He is my friend. But the truth must be told. By 2027, by God’s Grace, I will also be in my 80s.
“So, what am I looking for in public office as an octogenarian? The same principle should apply to Alhaji Abubakar.
“We all saw what American President Joe Biden did recently when he stepped down for Kamala Harris to contest the November presidential election.
“That is the hallmark of a statesman. Alhaji Abubakar should do same so that in 2027, the PDP will field a Southerner as presidential candidate.”
The former military governor of Ondo State, noted that immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner from Katsina State, left office after ruling for eight years.
He said power at the federal level could not go to the North in 2027 because “that is the reality of our country and our party’s constitution”.
According to him, Section 7, Sub-section 3 (C) of the PDP Constitution states that zoning and rotation must be maintained for justice, fairness and equity.
George said: “In our party, this is the right and logical thing to do in the present political circumstances.
“But if Alhaji Abubakar is desperate to contest again, I will advise him as a friend, a party man and brother to wait till 2031. By then, he will be 85 years.
“As loyal party members, we must continue to respect the PDP constitution. Fair is fair. I joined the PDP in 1998 and I have remained in this party since.”
The PDP chieftain recalled that he was elected National Vice Chairman (Southwest) and later Deputy National Chairman and now a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and one of the respected elders and credible voices of our party.
He said: “I have not defected to any other party. While I was in Wadata Plaza (the PDP national secretariat in Abuja), Alhaji Abubakar was in the Villa as Vice President. So, we know ourselves; the two of us know the principles guiding this party. We should not do anything that will destroy our party and the country.
“In 2027, the concept of Turn-by-Turn Nigeria Limited must be strictly followed by our party.
“The PDP must look for a southerner to wrest power from the All Progressives congress (APC)…
“So, Nigerians are waiting for us to rescue them in 2027, but a southerner must lead the battle.”
In a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, the one-time vice president said: “It is about 2025 and 2026 and beyond. His concern is about the plight of Nigerians who are literarily going through hell because of the failed trial-and-error policies of this administration.
“The average citizen, and indeed all Nigerians, need to survive… It is insensitive to talk about 2027 now, when the 2023 mandate has not yielded any tangible benefits to Nigerians.
“Bode George himself should also turn his attention to counselling Tinubu…instead of prioritising the politics of 2027.”
