By Chinelo Obogo
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has mourned the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying “he ran and concluded his race as a mortal”.
Buhari died in a London clinic on Sunday. He was president from 2015 to 2023 and was also military Head of State from January 1984 to August 1985.
In a statement on Sunday, George, a former Military Governor of old Ondo State, described Buhari’s death as a ‘leveler’
“Obviously, death has a humbling power. It eliminates advantages and disadvantages. The moment it strikes, you will realise that all men and women are the same, irrespective of social status, wealth, fame, power, religion and connections. Everybody will end up in six feet. We are all mortals. The lesson of his death is for everybody to be sober, whether you are in power or not, rich or poor. Death does not give a notice.
“It is also wrong for anybody to mock somebody’s death. It is unAfrican. God does not like that because judgement belongs to Him alone. As my former boss, I see his death as a lesson to everybody. Life is transient and the power you wield today is temporary. The only permanent power belongs to God Almighty,” George said.
George, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, also used the opportunity to send a strong message to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, that the presidency will remain in the South till 2031.
“I am not against Northerners. In fact, my best friend is still a Fulani man. But, the message I am sending to former Vice President Atiku is that PDP, as a party, will not field a Northerner as presidential candidate in 2027. It is the policy of our party as handed over to us by our founding fathers. This is not my personal opinion but rooted in our party constitution. I also want the electorate to know this.
“Atiku can go to another party to contest but PDP will look for a Southerner to wrest power from the APC in 2027. A cardinal principle of our party is that it is eight years north, eight years south, simple. It is not my own making. Anything short of this is unacceptable. When Baba Obasanjo was leaving in 2007, some people wanted former Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State to succeed him but he refused and insisted that the party’s principles and doctrine must not be truncated. That is statesmanship. This is PDP policy, not my personal opinion.
“Atiku and the rest know that if they remain in PDP, it is not possible for them to get the PDP ticket. That’s why they are talking about ADC now. I ran for the chairmanship of our party. The whole process was manipulated by a former governor in South-West. I quit the race but I did not leave the party despite the shenanigans. These people going to ADC are only after their own interests, not the interests of Nigerians. They are only in it for their personal ambitions. That’s the truth. PDP will never support them. In this trying period, I wish all Nigerians, the very best, irrespective of religion or ethnic background,” George said.
