Chief Bode George
A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, on Friday announced his withdrawal from
the race for the national chairmanship of the party.
He also lambasted Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers
State for saying the people of the South-West did not deserve to produce the
chairman of the party.
George, who said he did not withdraw for any
candidate, told one of our correspondents during an interview on Friday evening
that he would not be participating in the congress on Saturday (today) as it
was obvious that the event would be a charade. While speaking at the
headquarters of his campaign office in Maitama District of Abuja, George,
flanked by his supporters, said it was wrong for the party not to “micro-zone”
the office of the national chairman, as against the zoning principle reinforced
in Port Harcourt last year.
He said, “The party has lost its soul. It has
lost its principled beginning and the predications of righteousness. It has
traded the finer principles of democratic guidance and equity for the squalid,
dirty and shameful resort to mercenary agenda, where nothing matters save the
putrid, oafish gains of the moment.
“I cannot be part of this screaming aberration.
And as the Atona of Yorubaland, I do not expect any well-meaning, well
disciplined, forthright, sincere Omoluabi of Yorubaland to continue with this
deceit and shameful theatre.
“The Peoples Democratic Party has now mangled and
distorted its soul and spirit. There is no morality here anymore. There is no
sanity or any sense of enlightened civility.
“As a result of these observed aberrations
wherein the position of the National Chairman has been apparently sold and
auctioned to the highest bidder, I as an Omoluabi and as an authentic Atona of
Yorubaland, I will not partake in this charade.
“I hereby withdraw from this brazen fraud and
absolutely preconceived, monetised, mercantilist convention.”
While describing Wike’s comments as unfortunate,
George argued that without any meaningful position, the South-West, which
played a huge role in the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, would
not be eager to support the PDP in 2019.
He said, “I have removed myself from the charade
but I did not step down for any individual. Governor Wike insulted the
South-West badly today. What does he take the Yoruba people for?
“He said there is no micro-zoning and then went
ahead to say we have nothing to bring to the table. How do you want the Yoruba
people to feel?
“He implied that the South-West is not an
important zone and that we should play second fiddle.
It is not fair at all. I will not be going to the
congress.
“We have been spending so much money campaigning
all over the country. What do we tell our people when we return home? That the
South-West didn’t get it because we are not considered important?”
He therefore called on Wike to apologise to the
Yoruba over his comments.
Wike had said the South-West geopolitical zone
did not deserve to produce the next chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party
because the zone had no leader who could restore calm to the party.
Wike, who said the current crisis in the PDP
emanated from the South-West, argued that the South-South zone, which is
largely ruled by the PDP, deserves to produce the chairman in today’s national
congress.
The governor said this during a Channels
Television programme, ‘Sunrise Daily’, on Friday.
The governor said, “The problem that the PDP has
today arose from the South-West. Look at the crisis! Mention one chairman that
you will vote today in the South-West that will stabilise the party. Take for
example, Tunde Adeniran. If you vote him in, then that will be the beginning of
the crisis of the PDP in Ekiti State.”
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