Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, yesterday, has warned the party not to give its 2027 presidential ticket to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

This was as he reminded stakeholders in the party that Atiku was the party's presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023,

He said if Atiku should emerge as the party's flagbearer in 2027, the party will be trashed again as experienced in the previous times he was fielded.

He told The Guardian that Atiku and his cohorts in the PDP had demonstrated enough disrespect to the Southern Nigeria, going by the way they treated the region during PDP’s preparations for the 2023 elections, which ultimately infuriated the G-6 PDP governors led by former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and others to work against the interest of their party in the last general poll.

“Atiku does not have the interest of the South at heart and he may possibly not going to be the president of all, if under his supervision the South West was given nothing and he was even courageous enough to say that something would be conceded to South West after the election, which we rejected,” he said.

Further speaking, George pointed out that it would amount to cheating and complete disrespect to the entire South if a Northerner wins the PDP presidential ticket in 2027.

He said, “I can bet you that no reasonable southerner would wholeheartedly campaign for a candidate for the North to emerge President of Nigeria in 2027. I will never do that until 2031 after the South must have completed its eight years.”

ASA