Bode George Explains Rift with Wike, Blames Atiku, Ayu for PDP Crisis

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Bode George, has revealed the reasons behind his fallout with Nyesom Wike, whom he initially supported during the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.

Speaking on Arise TV on Friday, George accused the then-national chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of disrupting the party’s zoning arrangement, which he said was the root cause of the internal crisis.

According to him, the unresolved crisis within the party stemmed from the outcome of the 2022 PDP national convention, where key positions, including the presidential ticket and the national chairmanship, were zoned to the North.

Why I Initially Backed Wike – George

George explained that he temporarily aligned with Wike and his group in protest against the party’s leadership structure.

“The presidential candidate went to the northern zone, and the chairman of the party also went to the same zone.

We said no, it can’t happen like this. That was the basis of the party’s crisis. I didn’t just jump ship to be with Wike or Atiku; I had meetings with both of them and Ayu. They disrupted the system,” he said.

He further disclosed that he initially attempted to convince Atiku and Ayu to reconsider their stance, but they ignored his concerns, prompting him to side with Wike out of frustration with the party’s leadership.

Why I Distanced Myself from Wike’s Camp

However, George said he later distanced himself from Wike’s group upon realizing they were planning to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, in the 2023 presidential election.

“When Wike’s people came, we had a meeting, and they made me a leader.

In the end, we had two presidential candidates from the South, and they said they believed that Bola was the better person.

“I told them that if they stepped out of this meeting and talked about it outside, I would counter them.

You guys have no idea who this gentleman (Tinubu) is. He ruled my state (Lagos), and we know his modus operandi,” George stated.

The PDP chieftain’s comments come amid ongoing tensions within the party over the fallout from the 2023 general election and the future of its leadership.