A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has attributed the lingering crisis within the party to greed, avarice, and a growing disregard for the foundational principles that once guided the opposition party.

Speaking during an interview on Eagle 102.5 FM’s Frontline programme on Thursday, the elder statesman reflected on the origins of the internal conflict rocking the PDP, insisting that the division did not emerge from ideological differences but from the actions of individuals who ignored the rules laid down by the party’s founding fathers.

George’s comments come amid deepening divisions within the PDP following the aftermath of the 2023 general election, which triggered intense leadership disputes, zoning disagreements, and struggles for control over party structures across several states. The crisis has weakened the opposition party and led to a wave of defections by governors, lawmakers, and senior members, with several state leaders moving to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties over the past year.

Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, for instance, defected to the APC in December 2025 alongside lawmakers loyal to him, while other governors across different states also abandoned the PDP amid the internal rift, leaving the party with only two governors: in Oyo and Bauchi states.

The elder statesman referenced the recent ruling of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, which voided the PDP’s November 15–16, 2025 national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, and affirmed an earlier decision of the Federal High Court that restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the convention. The courts found that the party failed to comply with constitutional and electoral procedures, including the conduct of congresses in several states before the convention.

George said the PDP was deliberately structured to ensure national balance and stability in Nigeria’s political system, particularly through its zoning arrangement, which allowed different regions of the country to take turns in occupying the presidency and other key positions. The breakdown of that arrangement began when certain individuals prioritized personal ambition over the collective interest of the party.

“The guidelines as stipulated by the founding fathers of our party were totally disregarded. They were now saying, ‘Oh, it must be me, he must be this.’ Who are you? Let the will of the people prevail. PDP created a concept of operation in this country where every Nigerian, whether from a majority or minority tribe, is acceptable, responsible, and must benefit from the gifts God gave them in their local area. The founding fathers divided Nigeria into six geopolitical zones and created this zoning concept where one zone holds the presidency for eight years, then it rotates to another zone.

“You do zonal rotation to ensure that everyone is guaranteed a chance to participate and one day say to their people, ‘I can be president.’ What can be better than that? Which other political party does that in this country? None.”

The PDP leader lamented that the system began to collapse when individuals placed personal ambition above party discipline. According to him, the current turmoil within the party can be traced to the moment when a member insisted on contesting for a position contrary to the established zoning arrangement. “How did we miss it? The main point is human greed. One fellow came out and said, ‘I don’t care; I am going to contest.’ All the manipulation that followed stemmed from there. I was at the convention and I said, ‘What is going on here?’ This development would have deeply disappointed the party’s founding leaders, who designed the framework to maintain balance and unity.”

George said some party members are now determined to defend the principles established by the PDP’s founders. He warned that abandoning those values would undermine not only the party but Nigeria’s broader democratic system.

Despite the challenges, George insisted that restoring respect for the party’s founding principles remains the only path to unity and stability within the opposition party.