Presidency Must Remain In the South Till 2031 - Olabode George

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has strongly reacted to the exit of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, and others from the party.

He said they were free to leave and form any party of their choice but maintained that the presidency would not return to the North until 2031.

Speaking with our correspondent, George criticized the actions of the former Vice President, describing them as uncivilized. He recalled that the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, one of the PDP’s founding fathers, contested the presidency twice and lost but never violated the party’s rules.

According to George, the crisis currently rocking the PDP was instigated by individuals who had long planned to abandon the party, tracing its roots to the last convention held in Abuja. However, he emphasized that the final decision rests with the electorate in 2027.

“The final decision will be made by the electorate. A rolling stone gathers no moss. Those who created this madness did so on the convention floor. Now, they are asking us to ‘roll out.’ That is not civilized behavior,” he stated.

“Ekwueme, who founded this party and invited others to join, established a laudable structure and procedure. He contested twice and lost but never broke the rules. If your house is leaking and you’re the landlord, what do you do? You stay and fix it. Their behavior shows they only want to enjoy the good times. Even God warned us that life would come with trials and tribulations—we must endure. So, what exactly are they looking for?” he queried.

He further criticized attempts to rotate the presidency back to the North in 2027, saying: “Now they want to split everything and say it’s the North’s turn for the next four years. No, sir. That is not what was established by the PDP, and we will not change it.”

“If they want to leave, they’re free to form another party. The Nigerian electorate will decide.”

Chief George reiterated that the presidency would only return to the North in 2031 and pledged to lead the campaign, just as he had done before.

“I will lead that campaign when the time comes. I was raised to be fair, equitable, and just. What is all this nonsense?” he said.

“We are not presenting another Bola Tinubu in our party. The PDP will present a responsible, dependable, commendable, and loyal personality—someone with good character—who will manage this country’s resources for the benefit of the people. No half measures.

“You hit a roadblock that you created and instead of staying to fix it, you run away. We will stay and repair the broken walls. We will rebuild them, just like Nehemiah in the Bible,” George concluded.