Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has criticised top party members, particularly Atiku Abubakar and David Mark, for their involvement in the newly formed ADC-led opposition coalition, warning that their dual loyalty is unethical and unacceptable.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, George said it is contradictory for PDP leaders to remain in the party while openly aligning with a coalition formed to rival both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and PDP itself.
“You can’t serve two masters, as stated in the Holy Book. You either serve A or B. To say you are in both is a fallacy,” George said.
He accused Atiku and Mark both key figures in the ADC coalition of contributing to the internal fractures within the PDP, particularly during the contentious 2022 presidential primary that further deepened regional divisions within the party.
Describing the coalition as lacking strategic coherence, George dismissed it as unserious and incapable of assuming the PDP’s role as Nigeria’s foremost opposition party.
“It is nothing but existential imbecility or what is sometimes called existential docility. What are they all doing there?” he queried.
George asserted that loyalty to the party should mean staying and fixing internal challenges, not fleeing at the first sign of disagreement.
“If your house is leaking, you don’t abandon it. You fix it. The PDP gave many of them their platforms, their recognition. The honourable thing is to remain and rebuild it,” he said.
He also revisited the 2022 PDP convention crisis, blaming Atiku and then-chairman David Mark for ignoring calls for regional balance following President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
“Buhari, a northerner, had just completed eight years. Then Atiku wanted to run again. We objected. That was where the crisis started. We had Peter Obi in the South. But they shut the door on zoning and equity,” he said.
George specifically blamed David Mark and Iyorchia Ayu, then PDP National Chairman, for disregarding these concerns—a move he says has now led to the current party instability.
His comments come after the ADC was adopted by a coalition of opposition leaders including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir el-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, and others as the political platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027. Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, former Minister and ex-governor of Osun, were named interim National Chairman and Secretary of the coalition.
George’s remarks highlight a growing rift within the PDP, as some of its most prominent figures appear to be aligning with alternative platforms ahead of the next general election.
