Peoples Democratic Party Chieftain, Chief Bode George has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar would have collapsed if he had won the 2023 presidential election and emerged president of the country.
George while speaking on the crisis in the PDP said this
when he appeared on Arise TV Morning Show on Friday.
George said, “What am I looking for? Let us stand by the
truth because it is only the truth that would liberate you. When we had that
election, we divided the party (PDP) into two.
“If Atiku had won, I would have stayed in my house because I
know for real (that) in future he would collapse. This country would never
accept.
“If he had won that election you think this country would
have been stable? Because somebody from the north had just finished eight years
and our own norm is that after the eight years, the presidential candidate must
come to the south. Those who are running around for appointments (we wish them)
best of luck.”
George said the tilt of the party towards the north in the
last election was fundamental to the problems in the party, mentioning the
emergence of Atiku as the presidential candidate was responsible for completely
disorganising the party.
He said by the time the former national chairman of the
party, Iyorchia Ayu left, it was too late to solve the problems, saying he
(Ayu) reneged on the agreement to resign as chairman should the presidential
candidate emerge from the north.
“By the time Ayu left, he should have left long before the
election. There was an agreement. It was the emergence of Atiku from the north
as a presidential candidate that completely disorganised the norm of the party.
“The moment we interfered with it, manipulating the whole
process to satisfy Atiku, that’s where the problem started. For us to pretend
as if there was not a problem, we are just wasting time,” he said.
George who said there were about three divisions in the
party, said the opposition had lost its voice to challenge what he called the
“nuisances and nuances going on in this country by the people in government.”
“We’ve got some deeper problems in the party. The party is
almost divided now into three major sections and it’s not working,” he said.
George said he won’t serve as a member of the Disciplinary
Committee formed by the party to probe errant members who worked against the
party in the last general elections.
Recall the PDP on Wednesday, August 21, as parts of efforts
to address the ongoing crisis within its camp, inaugurated, the Reconciliation
Committee, chaired by former Osun State Governor Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and
the Disciplinary Committee, led by High Chief Tom Ikimi.
George a member of the PDP’s Board of Trustees said the
party by the composition of the committee jumped the gun in the hierarchy,
faulting his nomination as a member of the disciplinary committee to serve
under Ikimi who he said joined the party later than he did.
George who said there were party stakeholders who worked
against the party in the last election based on the situation in various
states, queried the disciplinary committee was inaugurated “to try who?”
He said rather than constituting committees, issues that
informed the crisis in the party should be resolved.
“And I said to them I can’t serve under him (Ikimi), because
when did he join the party? We know within ourselves the various groupings that
are dividing the party, that’s what the party should sit down first and
resolve.
“I know Tom very well, he met me in this party. The founding
fathers handed over to us. So the culture of the party, the do’s and don’ts are
with us. So you don’t make me be a member under somebody that I know in terms of
hierarchy of the party, and say I should go and serve under him. I made that
observation to them. And they said are you going to come, I said no I’m not.
“I will not serve under Ikimi. I’m been very frank with
myself. How much information or depth does he have concerning our party? You
don’t do things like that. It’s an observation and I’ve told the Chairman. At
this age, I’m ready to stay home.
“Just setting up a committee, where will it lead you?” He
questioned, saying emphasis should have been made to relate matters to the
Board of Trustees.
“The main responsibility of the board of trustees is that we
hold in trust the ownership of the party and that’s why we don’t do elections
in the board of trustees. We want justice, we want fairness and the chairman of
the Board of Trustees accepted and waded into it.
“The party is still in various directions, for now, let’s
get together. What we did that led us to this crisis had not been resolved.
People who are fighting for the presidential candidature, the manoeuvring and
all that, let’s resolve that,” he said.
George who said the constitution of the committee is bent to
one side of the divisions in the party, ruled out his active participation
within the committee.
“The chairman of that committee is from one group, and the
secretary of the committee is from the same group, so am I just to go there and
sit and look like some undecided animal? No,” he said.
“We need to do a fundamental review of what went on during
the last elections, come up with solutions, reunite everybody because a divided
house will always remain a defeated house.
“This procedure we are wasting time, people are saying we
are waiting for the PDP to provide a solid important opposition, rather than
fighting within yourself,” he said
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