Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has dismissed the newly formed African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections, insisting he will never be part of the alliance.
In an interview with Daily Independent ahead of his 80th birthday, George accused key figures behind the coalition—former Senate President David Mark, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu—of manipulating the PDP’s internal processes and abandoning the party out of “greed and personal ambition.”
“What is David Mark”, George asked. “What strong opposition are they forming? Did you not hear what the people of Otukpo said? Instead of fixing the road from Makurdi to Otukpo, he built a helipad on top of his house. Who will join their party? There is only one reason they left the PDP.”
George, a founding member of the party, said the PDP’s zoning arrangements were deliberately ignored by the trio, accusing them of violating the party’s constitutionally established power-rotation principle designed to ensure fairness among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
“We agreed that once a northerner runs the presidency for eight years, power must rotate to the South for the next eight years,” he said. “But greed and insatiable ambition drove them to manipulate the system. David Mark chaired the convention, Ayu was national chairman, both from the same state. They insulted the legacy of those who built the party.”
He stressed that he remains committed to the PDP and has no intention of defecting.
“I can never go to the ADC. What is ADC? Me, go there? I am an irredentist PDP member. The day I leave PDP, I am returning home. By God’s grace we will hold our convention this weekend. Let the will of the people prevail. Announce what the people vote. Do not circumvent their will.”
