In a candid revelation that sheds light on the crisis tearing apart the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, a senior figure in the party and a member of its Board of Trustees, explained the reasons behind his fallout with former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his subsequent disillusionment with the party’s top leadership.
Speaking exclusively on Arise TV on January 31, 2025, George outlined the sequence of events that led him to distance himself from Wike, whom he had initially supported in a move that seemed to challenge PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the buildup to the 2023 elections. His support for Wike was initially fueled by what he saw as a grave injustice committed by the party’s national leadership, specifically Atiku and then-national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
At the heart of George’s frustration was the party’s zoning arrangement, which he claimed was upended by Atiku and Ayu’s strategic decisions ahead of the 2022 PDP national convention. “The party’s zoning system was clear. The presidential candidate and the party chairman were supposed to come from different regions. But when the presidential candidate went to the northern zone, and Ayu, too, came from the same zone, it disrupted the party’s unity,” George said. “That was the genesis of our crisis.”
The PDP crisis, as George explained, was not a sudden fallout but a culmination of deep dissatisfaction with the party’s internal dynamics. According to George, he was initially keen on resolving the issue within the party but was forced to take sides after the leadership failed to listen to his concerns.
“I didn’t just jump ship to align with Wike or Atiku. I had extensive discussions with both of them and Ayu. I tried to make them see reason, but they refused to listen. They disrupted the zoning system, and that caused irreparable damage to the party,” he said. “When they insisted on doing things their own way, I couldn’t stay silent anymore.”
The turning point for George came when he realized that Wike’s group had, ironically, begun to express admiration for Bola Tinubu, the candidate from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This development left George aghast. He was particularly repulsed by the idea of aligning with a political force that he had long opposed, especially considering his extensive knowledge of Tinubu’s political track record.
“Wike’s people came to me, and we had meetings where they made me a leader in their group. But then, they shockingly declared support for Tinubu, claiming he was the better candidate. I was stunned,” George recalled. “I told them outright: if you go public with this, I will immediately counter you. I couldn’t let them believe that Bola Tinubu was the right choice. I knew his modus operandi and what he had done to my state. It was betrayal.”
The move to support Wike had initially seemed like a strategic opposition to Atiku, who George felt had broken the fundamental principles of the party. However, the endorsement of Tinubu marked a significant ideological shift that George was unwilling to entertain.
George’s disillusionment with Wike’s group deepened when he realized that the former governor had drifted from the party’s principles and was willing to support an opposing candidate, even one with whom George had major disagreements. This marked the final straw for George, who had originally hoped to see a strong southern candidate rise to challenge northern domination within the PDP.
Despite his frustrations, George maintained that he still believed in the core values of the PDP. He lamented the fact that the party, once seen as a unifying force in Nigeria, had been pulled apart by internal power struggles and selfish ambitions. “I still have a deep love for the PDP,” he said. “But the direction it’s going now is not the direction I want to follow.”
As the crisis within the PDP continues to unravel, with leaders like Wike and Atiku seemingly on opposing sides, George remains steadfast in his belief that the party’s survival depends on returning to its original principles of fairness, unity, and respect for internal agreements. “We need a strong, united PDP,” George said. “But that can only happen if the leadership stops acting like it’s above the people.”
The fallout between George and Wike highlights the broader rift within the PDP, a party that has been plagued by disputes over leadership, zoning, and ideology in the wake of the 2023 elections. The party’s internal struggles have left many wondering if it can ever regain its former glory or if it is destined for further fragmentation.