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By Myke Agunwa
The move to build a mega coalition of like-minded politicians that can oust President Bola Tinubu in 2027 has been dismissed by former Deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George who vehemently maintains that the opposition PDP is stronger than any coalition.
He appealed to aggrieved members of the party, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Cross River State Lyiel Imoke, former National Chairman of the party Prince Uche Secondus and others to reconsider moving to or working for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) which is the coalition party.
George who spoke in Lagos on Thursday at a social event tagged “Restitution of Restoration,” described the PDP as a resilient and reborn political party that offers the strongest platform for political ambitions in Nigeria.
He argued that no coalition in the country could rival the PDP’s strength.
“There is no coalition in today’s Nigeria that can be stronger than PDP.
“The PDP is a reborn political party that has weathered all storms and can never go under. All these leaders must return to this Iroko political party.”
He said that leaving the PDP to join opposition coalitions dishonours the sacrifices of the party’s founding fathers and amounts to a disservice to the platform that elevated many leaders to national prominence.
George said the internal crisis within the PDP, particularly at the national level, has been resolved, adding that the party has regained its position as the major opposition force in Nigeria.
“With the resolution of issues and return of peace, all reasons cited for forming coalitions are no longer tenable.
“Those who have attained higher positions on the PDP platform should rethink their decisions.”
On the contentious issue of zoning the presidency to the south in 2027, George reaffirmed the party’s commitment to the arrangement.
He noted that zoning was instituted by the party’s founding fathers to prevent political instability.
“What is the contention about? Why do they want to leave the PDP? They want to be presidential candidates. Positions are zoned in the PDP.
“The founding fathers zoned positions because lack of zoning led to the collapse of the first and second republics.”