Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, yesterday, said that the party’s 2027 presidential candidate must come from southern Nigeria.
Speaking on “Daily Digest” on Nigeria Info FM, George said the party’s failure to address the issue of zoning might lead to its total collapse.
He said: “The next presidential candidate of the party must come from the south, and if it doesn’t come from the south that would probably send the party to its grave.
Once it is in the southern zone, all three zones will compete for it. “It would be ideal if the candidate comes from the East but they will still compete for the ticket. What I wish for justice and fairness is that the next candidate should come from the East.
“Peter Obi was a strong member of the PDP right from the first time before he even became the Governor of Anambra State. What happened during that period was that there was a wind of change from the youth blowing in this country and Obi was just lucky that he was part of that.
“That was the platform that generated the love for him. The party that doesn’t have a normal structure from the ward level, local government level, state level, zonal level and national level, how do you have an Iroko tree without a deep-rooted root?
“Nobody has the right to tell any Nigerian not to contest because it is their constitutional right; but as a member of our party, it means our groundwork would be respected by him. And what is that grundnorm, section 7 subsection 3c of our constitution states it clearly.
“For the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari didn’t come from South West, South East or South South, he ran this nation for eight years and by the perception and the goodwill of the founding fathers, they said once a president runs this nation as a candidate from the North for eight years on our party platform, it must come to the South.”
When asked about the zoning arrangement of the party, George said before the presidential convention of the party in 2022, there was a committee that was set up to revisit the zoning arrangement of the party, because the presidential candidate and the national chairman of the party cannot come from the same zone.
“We have six zones and six top positions, president, vice president, Senate president, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the National chairman of the party.
“So, all the even numbers go together with the zone. If the number one goes up then the number two will come down. So, we now set up a committee to revisit that report and I was a member representing Lagos in the committee.
“The first day we had a meeting, there was confusion and people were shouting there was no more zoning in the party and that there was no need for zoning. I want the public to know the actual truth behind this,” he said.
George said it is a joke that Atiku Abubakar is the only one who has the financial muscle to face President Bola Tinubu. He said those with such views have no idea about what had happened since 1999.
“When you look at the details, are you justifiable and can you defend this before Nigerians who are the electorates to convince them that you will be better managers and that you will take care of all tribes without an exception? You will take care of the minority tribe and the majority tribe. That is the essence of this.”
