FORMER Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has asked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to jettison his presidential ambition ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He also warned of a looming crisis within the party if internal disputes remained unresolved.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, November 21, George urged Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, to step aside for posterity’s sake and assume the role of a statesman.
“To Atiku, my advice is this, you will be 81 years old in 2027, and you have been contesting for the presidency since 1993. This is the time for you to calm down and act like an elder. I appeal to you in the name of the Almighty Allah, that you serve, to take it easy and leave everything for posterity,” George said.
The ICIR reports that Abubakar has been a central figure in Nigerian politics, particularly in his quest to occupy the nation’s highest office.
His political journey spans decades, beginning in 1993 when he contested in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) primaries but lost to late Chief Moshood Abiola.
lAbubakar ater became Nigeria’s Vice President from 1999 to 2007 under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
Since then, he has pursued the presidency in multiple elections, including running as a candidate for the Action Congress (AC) in 2007, and returning to the PDP to vie for the office in 2011, 2019, and most recently, in 2023, where he lost to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He had joined the All Progressives Congress in 2014 ahead of the 2015 presidential election to contest the presidential primaries but lost to Muhammadu Buhari.
Meanwhile, speaking further, George criticised the attitudes of some party members, accusing them of prioritising personal ambitions over the unity of the PDP.
He expressed concern over divisions within the party, emphasising that such actions were detrimental to its survival.
“We are where we are today because of a self-inflicted crisis. We should bury our individual ambitions now and not allow the PDP to crumble, please. Elders of the party should tell some of these funny characters to cool off and think of our national interest instead of their personal interest.
He further questioned the motives of those he described as “divisive and arrogant members” who, instead of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), continue to create discord within the PDP.
According to him, the party is “at the precipice of a dangerous looming crisis, if pending critical party issues are not urgently addressed.”
While speaking on the party’s crisis in Rivers, George urged the former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, to reconcile with the current governor, Siminalayi Fubara, for the greater good of the party.
“My advice to Wike is very simple. You are my political son. I am therefore appealing to him to cool off immediately. I know he was injured by friends during the last PDP presidential contest but I am advising him as a father to please take it easy. Nobody is bigger than any party. Forget what happened in the past and let us work together in the interest of this party,” he said.
He also criticised the actions of some PDP members in Rivers State, questioning why Fubara appears to be facing internal opposition.
“Must the governor now behave like a slave to his predecessor and other characters because of this concept of godfatherism which is a misnomer in our politics? Why are some party members encouraging his predecessor to bring him down? He is in Abuja; he wants to control what goes on in Rivers State.”
George urged PDP leaders to act swiftly to mediate disputes and address grievances, warning that the party’s current trajectory could lead to disaster.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M