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You can’t contest for President under PDP in 2027 – Bode George tells Atiku

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Bode Goerge

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Bode George, says former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, must wait till 2031 if he wants to contest for President again.

Recall that Abubakar, the PDP Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general elections, lost to the incumbent President Bola Tinubu.

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.

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

“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”.

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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 PDP chieftain said that he was elected National Vice -Chairman (South-West) and later, Deputy- National Chairman and now, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and one of the respected elders and credible voices of our party.

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He said: “I have not defected to any other party. While I was in Wadata Plaza, Alhaji Abubakar was in the Villa as Vice President. So, we know ourselves and the two of us know the principles guiding this party.

“We should not do anything that will destroy our party and the country. In 2027, the concept of Turn-by-Turn Nigeria Limited must be strictly followed by our party.

“PDP must look for a southerner to wrest power from the APC because that party of strange bed fellows wants to destroy this country, economically and politically.

“So, Nigerians are waiting for us to rescue them in 2027 but a southerner must lead the battle,” he said.

George described as laughable, a report by Abubakar’s media adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, calling him (George) a tribal bigot, over his position on power rotation.

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“I read a report by one of Alhaji Abubakar’s media aides accusing me of tribalism, I just laughed. My best friend today is a Fulani man, Admiral Murtala Nyako.

“I was the Director-General of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Presidential Campaign Organisation for the 2007 elections. The late president trusted me. So, I cannot be accused of being tribalistic.

“I also served the military well. My records are there for all to see. But, you know in politics, people can say anything to tarnish your image. Despite that, the truth must be told. What you will not accept, don’t give to others.

“I can boldly say that I am a detribalised Nigerian and a committed member of the PDP. I don’t harbour any disdain or hate for Alhaji Abubakar or any other PDP member,” he said.

George urged every member of the party to” embrace and respect the entrenched principles of zoning and rotation, bestowed on the party by our founding fathers since inception in 1998, “no matter whose ox is gored.

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“The principles explicitly stipulate that, at the end of every eight years, all elective and party offices should change from the northern divide to the southern divide and vice versa.

“That is the position which I will continue to champion till thy kingdom come!,” he said.

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Politics

Rivers crisis: Why I won’t make peace with Fubara – Wike

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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has revealed one of the reasons he can’t make peace with Governor Similayi Fubara of Rivers State.

Wike accused Fubara of removing a chief in his family and went ahead to make another person a chief.

The FCT Minister stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions from journalists at a media parley in Abuja.

According to reports, the statement comes amid the ongoing political crisis in the State, with Wike and Governor Similayi Fubara at the center of the feud.

“Sometimes when you people talk about this peace, you don’t take everything. You don’t just sit outside to talk.

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“Look at me, a former governor, Minister of of the FCT, Governor (Fubara) had the temerity, the audacity, because he has money from federation account, because he has more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), will enter my own family to remove a chief and make another person a chief,” Wike said.

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Lagos HoA Crisis: Let Obasa Stay, Tinubu Tells Lawmakers

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President Bola Tinubu has instructed lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly to allow the impeached and reinstated Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, to continue leading the house.

The President made this position known when he met with the lawmakers at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday.

As reported earlier, this is the first time President Tinubu is meeting the lawmakers since the crisis began in the house January 13, 2025.

One of the lawmakers told newsmen that ” Obasa is staying. We will obey the president. What we had was a family meeting. The President condenmed Obasa’s actions but blamed us for not carring him (Tinubu) along during the impeachement execrise”.

However, the lawmaker said President Tinubu warned Obasa to carry everyone along.

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” He also warned him (Obasa) that if there were any future complaints from any quarters, he would be gone. “The President said he should let peace reign; and so based on that, we have accepted.”

On the pending matter in court, the source said: “The President has instructed him to withdraw it.”

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Fubara not sincere, playing to gallery – Rivers Assembly

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The Rivers State House of Assembly has disagreed with the claims by the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, that he was blocked from entering the House to re-present his 2025 Appropriation Bill.

The House said it never received any official communication from the governor indicating his interest to bring his appropriation bill to the floor of the House.

Spokesperson of the House and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Enemi George, described the claims of the governor as a mere comedy skit scripted to paint the House in bad light.

George recalled that on March 3, the House of Assembly wrote to the governor requesting him to bring his 2025 appropriation bill to the lawmakers following the judgement of the Supreme Court.

He said: “We were the ones, who immediately after that judgement appealed to the governor to bring his appropriation bill. We acted immediately because we have the interest of the state at heart and didn’t want Rivers people to suffer any harm.

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“Despite withholding our entitlements for over a year and demolishing our chambers, we still wanted him to hasten up the presentation in the interest of the progress of Rivers.

“We indicated our intentions in that letter and even gave him a timeframe because of the urgency of the matter. To regularise his appointments, we also urged him during our subsequent sitting to submit the names of his nominees for the positions of commissioners and some boards’ membership for screening and confirmation.

“But, the governor rebuffed our pleas. We sent employees of the Assembly to deliver these resolutions to him. But, as usual, they turned them down at the gate and even brutalized them. We resorted to engaging the services of a courier company.

“But, he still did not heed our call forgetting that there are essential services like hospitals, schools and others to be funded. Our intention was to finish everything about the budget on March 15, so that we could send necessary information and documents to relevant agencies of the government to allow the release of Rivers allocations at the end of March. But, with what he is doing, we don’t know what he wants to achieve.

“How can he turn around to claim that we blocked him from re-presenting his budget? This is the height of insincerity. We even need the budget to be passed because the governor has been owing us our entitlements for more than a year and without the budget, we can’t get our entitlements.

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“The governor and his team simply and deliberately acted Wednesday’s drama with a singular motive to tarnish the image of the Assembly. The governor is simply playing to the gallery to whip up unnecessary sentiments. But, it has backfired because the truth has come out”.

Besides, George insisted that the letter the governor claimed that he sent to the Speaker never got to him, adding that it was after the Wednesday’s sitting that the lawmakers saw the letter flying on social media.

He said: “But, even the letter trending on social media was dated March 11. Does it mean that the governor purportedly sent a letter on Tuesday God knows when, and immediately mobilised to the Assembly Quarters on Wednesday morning, claiming he came to present his budget?

“That alone vitiates the claimed purpose. It is procedurally trite that after writing to the Assembly, the governor ought to wait for the letter to be acknowledged by the lawmakers, who will then invite him to appear before them and make his presentation. Governor Fubara ought to know this if he is sincere.

“But, all we know is that this Assembly will continue to uphold the rule of law and will remain committed to promoting the interest of Rivers State. We urge him to do the needful so that Rivers people can breathe. He is toying with the lives and livelihood of Rivers people.

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