Chief George Olabode, former deputy president of the National Democratic Party (PDP), insisted that Nigeria will not become a partisan state until the 2027 election.
George expressed confidence in the resilience of the opposition party in an interview and questioned the motivations of those who left. “Our party will be great,” he said. “I’m asking: What do you want the president to return in 2027, what do they want him to do? What is the economic situation on the land? What has he done to improve the living standards of Nigerians?”
He criticized the defectors and said: “The defectors are leaving a political party that constructs a place without structure. Is that where Nigerians will vote? People should conduct in-depth analysis and position all parties.”
George links Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s defection to internal party dynamics. “In my case, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori left the PDP because of Ifeanyi Okowa, he considered him his godfather.” He advocated for a stronger party discipline, suggesting: “We need to replicate what they did in South Africa, the highest South Africa.”
George refuted this concern over concerns that Nigeria is moving towards a one-party system. “I don’t think this country will become a one-party state. Nigerians are too smart,” he said. “We don’t allow tribes to serve permanently. This is impossible because this country is multi-troop and multi-ethnic.”
George emphasized the ephemerality of political power. “The president has only four years or up to eight years to take office, and after that he needs to leave because the game is not permanent,” he said.
As the founder of PDP, George said key decisions will be made soon. “We are waiting for the NEC meeting, where there will be many decisions,” he said. “It is after that meeting that we will know whether the real Democrats — those who believe in the PDP will save it or collapse.”
George talked about the North/South divide in the central/South of Nigerian politics, and George called for national unity. “Those who look for giant party without the input of the Southerners are not serious people,” he said. “Nigeria is not the North/South issue. It is an indivisible country that matters to everyone.”
He ended with a firm message: “Nothing lasts forever, and as elders we represent the truth. I am afraid that no one is telling them the truth.”
