Bode George to Atiku: You can’t be president until 2031

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been told to forget his 2027 presidential ambition and wait till 2031 if he wants to contest for president again.

This is the position of the former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George.

Atiku lost to President Bola Tinubu of the APC as the PDP Presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.

George, in a statement on Wednesday, said that a southerner must occupy the office of the President and Commander-in-Chief from 2023 to 2031 “because that is the reality of our country, PDP constitution and our polity.”

“Even in 2027, Atiku will be 81 years and this is the time for him to embrace the President Joe Biden concept of allowing the younger generation to run for the highest office in the land.

“I have nothing personal against Alhaji Abubakar. He is my friend but the truth must be told. By 2027, by God’s Grace, I will also be in my 80s.

“So, what am I looking for in public office as an octogenarian? The same principle should apply to Alhaji Abubakar.

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“We all saw what American President, Joe Biden, did recently when he stepped down for Kamala Harris to contest the November presidential election.

“That is the hallmark of a statesman. Alhaji Abubakar should do same so that in 2027, PDP will field a southerner as presidential candidate,” George, a former military governor of Ondo State, said.

According to him, the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner from Katsina State, just left office after ruling for eight years.

He said that power at the federal level could not go to the North in 2027 because “that is the reality of our country and our party’s constitution”.

George said that Section 7, Sub-section 3 (C) of the PDP Constitution stated that zoning and rotation must be maintained for justice, fairness and equity.

He added: “In our party, this is the right and logical thing to do in the present political circumstances.

“But if Alhaji Abubakar is desperate to contest again, I will advise him as a friend, a party man and brother to wait till 2031. By then, he will be 85 years.

“As loyal party members, we must continue to respect PDP Constitution. Fair is fair. I joined the PDP in 1998 and I have remained in this party since.”

The Star