Prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Bode George, has launched a scathing attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his recent visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari as part of efforts to galvanize support for his coalition campaign.
George, speaking on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Tuesday, expressed deep disappointment with Atiku’s move, accusing the former vice president of sidelining PDP members in favor of aligning himself with the opposition. He criticized Atiku for taking his coalition agenda to Buhari, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and for ignoring his own party’s stakeholders.
“Those who are now forming a mega party, what is the purpose of that mega party? You’re a member of a solid organization, and you want to pull out. You’re meeting with Buhari, who is not even a member of our party. Have you discussed your mega plan with anybody else in the party?” George questioned. He further emphasized the need for such matters to be discussed within the party before making such drastic moves. “You don’t just flip-flop because of your personal ambition,” he said.
George, who served as the former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, dismissed Atiku’s calls for a coalition as a mere tactic to weaken the PDP and further his own political interests. He accused Atiku of trying to use the mega party as a platform for his personal political gain without consideration for the party or the zoning arrangements that have governed the presidency between the northern and southern regions of Nigeria.
“Look at General Buhari shaking hands with these guys. Is he a member of our party? We presented you against him, and he flopped you like a little kid, and then you are running there,” George said, questioning Atiku’s intentions for seeking support from the former president after losing to him in the 2019 election. He added that the group of PDP members visiting Buhari appeared to be largely from one side, leaving others in the party sidelined. “What is he trying to do with this mega party? Is he trying to divide Nigeria from the north and then the south?” George queried.
The former Ondo State governor also accused Atiku of disregarding the unwritten zoning arrangement that has traditionally ensured an eight-year term for each region. He stressed that Atiku’s repeated bid for the presidency—having contested in 2019 and again in 2023—was an attempt to undermine the balance between northern and southern Nigeria. "Atiku got the ticket in 2019, and in 2023, he got it again. Now, he’s trying to get the ticket again. It’s about his personal ambition," George argued.
Instead of joining forces with others in a coalition for his own benefit, George advised PDP members to unite within the party and work together for the 2027 elections. “Come home and work together for the party. We must unite and push forward as a party,” he concluded.
