A former National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olabode George, has traced the lingering crisis within the party to what he described as greed, avarice and a growing disregard for the foundational principles that once guided the opposition party.
George spoke during a current affairs interview programme, Frontline, on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ijebu-Ilese, Ogun State, on Thursday.
Reflecting on the internal conflict rocking the party, the elder statesman insisted that the division did not emerge from ideological differences but from the actions of individuals who ignored the rules laid down by the party’s founding fathers.
George’s comments came amid deepening divisions within the PDP following the aftermath of the 2023 Nigerian general election, which triggered intense leadership disputes, zoning disagreements and control battles over party structures across several states.
The crisis has weakened the opposition party and led to a wave of defections by governors, lawmakers and senior members, with several state leaders moving to the ruling All Progressives Congress and other parties in the past year.
Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, for instance, defected to the APC in December 2025 alongside lawmakers loyal to him, while other governors across different states have also abandoned the PDP amid the internal rift.
The internal struggle was further compounded by a recent ruling of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, which voided the PDP’s November 15–16, 2025, national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The appellate court affirmed an earlier decision of the Federal High Court of Nigeria that restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the convention after finding that the party failed to comply with constitutional and electoral procedures, including the conduct of congresses in several states before the convention.
The former Military Administrator of Ondo State said the PDP was deliberately structured to ensure national balance and stability in Nigeria’s political system, particularly through its zoning arrangement, which allowed different regions of the country to take turns occupying the presidency and other key positions.
He explained that the breakdown of the arrangement began when certain individuals chose personal ambition over the collective interest of the party.
“I don’t want to go back into the details of how this nonsense started. It started because of avarice, because of greed, because of a lack of respect for constituted authorities.
“The guidelines as stipulated by the founding fathers of our party were totally disconnected, and they were now saying, ‘Oh, it must be me, he must be this.’ Who are you? Let the will of the people prevail,” he said.
George further disclosed that the PDP’s zoning formula was conceived to guarantee fairness among Nigeria’s diverse ethnic and regional groups, noting that the arrangement helped stabilise the country’s political structure after years of instability.
He recalled that the idea was developed by senior political leaders who sought to prevent future crises that could threaten Nigeria’s democracy.
“PDP created a concept of operation in this country where we decided that every Nigerian, whether you are a majority or minority tribe, you are acceptable and responsible, and you must benefit from the gifts that God gave you in your own local area.
“The founding fathers divided Nigeria into six geopolitical zones and created this zoning concept where one zone holds the presidency for eight years, and it rotates to another zone,” he said.
George said the arrangement ensured that every part of the country could feel a sense of belonging within the political system.
“You do zonal rotation to make sure that you are guaranteed that you will not only be a participant but that one day you can come and meet your people and say you can be president. What can be better than that? Which other political party does that in this country? None,” he added.
The PDP leader lamented that the system began to collapse when individuals placed personal ambition above party discipline.
According to him, the current turmoil within the party can be traced to the moment when a member insisted on contesting for a position contrary to the established zoning arrangement.
“How did we miss it? The main point is human greed. One fellow came out and said, ‘I don’t care whatever it is, I am going to contest.’ All the manipulation they created followed from there. I was at the convention, and I said, ‘What is going on here?’” he added.
He added that the development would have deeply disappointed the party’s founding leaders, who designed the framework to maintain balance and unity.
“Those old men who had passed on would be shaking violently in their graves. That was when we turned logic upside down in our party, and that is the result we are seeing today,” George lamented.
He insisted that restoring respect for the party’s founding principles remains the only path to unity and stability within the opposition party.
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