Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Deputy Chairman, Bode George, has emphasized the necessity for the party to adhere to its foundational principle of power rotation between the North and South to secure victory in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during his address titled “My Thoughts on The State of Our Country in the Last 25 Years: A Time to Chart A New Direction,” George highlighted the importance of sticking to the party’s grundnorm of power rotation.
This statement came in response to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recent comment that he would drop his 2027 presidential ambition if the PDP supports the Labour Party’s 2023 candidate, Peter Obi.
“Our party has a grundnorm. The constitution of our party, as compiled by the founding father, Baba Ekwueme (former Vice President Alex Ekwueme), and his team, will remain a guiding light,” George stated.
He emphasized that the PDP’s defeat in 2023 was a lesson on the importance of adhering to this principle. “We have paid a big price for not following the rule. We have made mistakes, let us learn. It has cost us too much.”
George referenced Section 7, Subsection 3C of the party’s constitution, which mandates zoning and rotation procedures for party positions and elective offices, underscoring its importance for the party’s functionality.
He further explained that the power rotation principle was established to prevent scenarios that could invite military intervention.
The founding fathers of the PDP divided the country into six geo-political zones to ensure both majority and minority tribes felt represented.
“The problem since 1960 has been between majority tribes and minority tribes. The majority tribe will have their way, but the minority will just be mere onlookers.
That was the major cause of coups and counter-coups,” George explained.
To address this, the PDP’s founding fathers proposed that the top six positions in the country be distributed among the six geo-political zones to promote equity and justice.
These positions include the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Chairman of the party.
“They agreed that every eight years, all the positions held by northern zones should come to the southern zones, and vice versa, for rotation.
The moment we started tinkering with that idea officially against our grundnorm, that was what created division in the PDP,” George concluded.
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