PDP crisis: Bode George ‘advises’ Atiku to contest presidency in 2031 at 85

● Counsels Tinubu on ill-advised policies instead, Atiku’s aide counters
● Group lauds PDP governors for standing up to Wike
● Tonye Cole faults blurred lines between APC, PDP in Rivers politics

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, yesterday advised the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to wait until 2031 if he wishes to contest again.

However, the “advice,” which the chieftain described as coming from “a friend, a party man and brother,” indicates that the PDP’s political sores are festering rather than healing up.

The party’s chieftains have been embroiled in skirmishes. Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike is fighting a pitched battle with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, while Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum continues to insist he will not be intimidated out of office.

Wike, who declined to back Atiku, his party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, had recently vowed that he has no plans to back down from battling “vampires” in the PDP.

George said he has “nothing personal” against Alhaji Abubakar. “He is my friend, but the truth must be told. By 2027, by God’s grace, I will also be in my 80s. So, what am I looking for in public office as an octogenarian? The same principle should apply to Alhaji Abubakar.”

The PDP chieftain cited the instance of America’s President Joe Biden “when he stepped down for Kamala Harris to contest the November presidential election.” According to him, “That is the hallmark of a statesman. Alhaji Abubakar should do the same so that in 2027 the PDP will field a Southerner as a presidential candidate.”

He explained that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a Northerner from Katsina State, had just left office after an eight-year term. “Alhaji Abubakar is also a Northerner from Adamawa State. So, power cannot go to the North in 2027. That is the reality of our country and our party’s Constitution.

“Section 7, Sub-section 3 (C) says zoning and rotation must be maintained for justice, fairness and equity. In our party, this is the right and logical thing to do in the current political circumstances.”

Bode George, however, noted: “If Alhaji Abubakar is desperate to contest again, I will advise him as a friend, a party man, and brother to wait until 2031. By then, he will be 85 years old. As loyal party members, we must continue to respect the PDP Constitution. Fair is fair. I joined the PDP in 1998 and have remained with this party since then.

“I was elected National Vice Chairman (South-West) and later Deputy National Chairman. Today, I am a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and one of the respected elders and credible voices of our party. I have not defected to any other party. While I was in Wadata Plaza, Alhaji Abubakar was in the Villa as Vice President. So, we know ourselves, and the two of us know the principles guiding this party.

“We should not do anything that will destroy our party and the country.

“In 2027, the concept of ‘Turn-by-Turn Nigeria Limited’ must be followed strictly by our party. PDP must look for a Southerner to wrest power from the APC because that party of strange bedfellows wants to destroy this country economically and politically. Nigerians await us to rescue them in 2027, but a Southerner must lead the battle.”

The former Military Governor of Ondo State said he laughed upon reading a report by one of Atiku’s media aides accusing him of tribalism. He clarified: “My best friend today is a Fulani man, Admiral Murtala Nyako. I was the Director-General of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Presidential Campaign Organisation for the 2007 elections. The late President trusted me. So, I cannot be accused of being tribalistic.

“I also served the Military well. My records are there for all to see. But, in politics, people can say anything to tarnish your image. Despite that, the truth must be told. What you will not accept, don’t give to others.”

George added: “I can boldly say that I am a detribalised Nigerian and a committed irredentist member of the PDP. I don’t harbour any disdain or hate for Alhaji Abubakar or any other PDP member. I expect every member of the party to embrace and respect the entrenched principles of zoning and rotation bestowed on the party by our founding fathers since its inception in 1998, no matter whose ox is gored.

“The principles explicitly stipulate that, at the end of every eight years, all elective and party offices should change from the Northern to the Southern divide, and vice versa. That is the position which I will continue to champion till thy kingdom come!”

BUT in a reaction, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said: “We cannot afford to put the cart before the horse. At this point, Atiku Abubakar’s preoccupation is not 2027; his concern is 2024. It is about 2025 and 2026 and beyond. His concern is about the plight of Nigerians who are literarily going through hell because of the failed trial-and-error policies of this administration.

He noted that the average citizen, and indeed all Nigerians, needs to survive the tsunami that has become President Bola Tinubu’s administration. He said it is “insensitive” to talk about 2027 when “the 2023 mandate has not yielded any tangible benefits for Nigerians, who are now far worse off in every facet of life.”

Ibe added: “Bode George should also turn his attention to counselling Tinubu to reassess some of his ill-advised policies that have deepened poverty and divisions in our country instead of prioritising the politics of 2027.”

MEANWHILE, PDP governors have been praised for courage in the political crises between Fubara and Wike. The National Coordinator of PDP Frontiers for Change and Progress, Emeka-Yellow Ikpegbu, lauded the governors for their recent declaration of support for their colleague, Fubara, saying their position has demonstrated courage against Wike’s alleged godfatherism tendencies.

Ikpegbu, who said this in Umuahia, reiterated that the governors’ positions had vindicated the members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) led by Adolphus Wabara and other members of the board, who recently visited Fubara in Port Harcourt.

“Wike should leave Fubara, Wabara and PDP alone and concentrate on his assignment as the FCT Minister,” he added. However, Tonye Cole, a former APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, expressed concern over the state of politics in Rivers, describing it as a “running joke” due to the blurred lines between the APC and PDP.

In an interview with Arise News yesterday, Cole highlighted the confusion surrounding party identities in the state and questioned which party is truly in charge.

He said: “You have a PDP that is an APC, and an APC that is a PDP, and it is a running joke. Which party is really in charge of Rivers State? Is it APC or PDP? We must first decide who is (of the) APC or PDP. The first thing that needs to be done is the resolution of who is in charge of the party in Rivers State.

“We first need to understand that everybody has a place. Fubara is governor; let him govern. If I were Wike, I would be pointing out and guiding Fubara because you are PDP, and you would like PDP to succeed.”