Generals At War: Bode George Alleges David Mark  Caused PDP’s Crisis, Labels Him Unworthy, A Disgrace

By Akinwale Kasali

Two retired Military Generals-turned politicians are on a collusion course.  Navy Commodore Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  has just dragged his Army counterpart, Brigadier-General David Mark, a former Senate President, under a PDP Government, in the mud.

Until they parted a few days ago, both of them were in the same Party. But, tired of the shenanigans going on in the PDP, Mark jumped ship and landed smack on the side of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, a political party under which a Coalition of opposition to the All Progressives Congress, APC, led by President Bola Tinubu found embraced in a bid to to unseat Tinubu and his Party in 2027. He was immediately appointed the Interim National Chairman.

Perhaps stung by the run on the PDP since the ADC strongly entered the political arena, and feeling betrayed that Mark is playing a prominent role, Chief George has pounced on him.

He has heaped the root cause of the crisis which engulfed the embattled PDP on Mark. He accused Mark of being the harbinger of the crisis in the PDP. And he called Mark unflattering names – a disgrace and an unworthy personality.

He stated that the former Senate President contributed to the internal crisis currently rocking the party. He further alleged that Mark was responsible for organising the controversial National Convention, which according to him, laid the foundation for the party’s crisis.

It would be recalled that Mark, alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Jigawa and Sokoto state Governors, Sule Lamido and Aminu Tambuwal respectively, among others, at a meeting in Abuja last week, announced their departure from the PDP,  and urged PDP members to join the ADC to rescue the nation in the next general election.

Mark had stated after a meeting of the Coalition that: “This meeting encourages all well-meaning PDP members and other patriotic Nigerians to join the Coalition. All Coalition partners must be united on the issues of national unity, democracy, national security, national economy and the political will to stamp out corruption embedded in our institutions.

“The PDP, which is organic with the discipline, capacity, and history to lead and save Nigeria, is now a shadow of its old self. The heatwave unleashed by the APC Federal Government, through threats, blackmail and patronage has forced elected officers in government to abandon the PDP”.

In reaction to the statement, George chided the retired Army Brigadier-General for abandoning the Party in times of trouble, stressing that the PDP’s crisis was traceable to Mark.

He said: “I am deeply ashamed of that statement coming from David Mark, asking PDP members to join the ADC. It is extremely disgraceful. I am heartbroken. What is annoying is that these people have chosen to abandon their father’s house, where they were born. You left a house that produced and nurtured you just because there is one crisis or the other in that house?

“This is not about Mark being arrogant; he is disgraceful and unworthy. We are talking about a retired Army General here, behaving like a rolling stone that gathers no moss. I was there when our party hierarchy decided he was going to be our nominee for the Office of the Senate President. He was the Chairman of the convention that brought about the crisis in the PDP today because, they manipulated the process established by the founding fathers.”

The PDP chieftain described Atiku, Mark and others as ingrates and a disappointment to the memories of the founding fathers of PDP.

He said, “These people are perpetually dancing on the graves of those Babas who gave their lives and everything for the party. That comment he made that PDP is now a shadow of its former self is unacceptable to people like me.

“He (Mark) has no right to demonise the party. If a civilian said what he said, we can ignore but we (military personnel) were trained to have respect for processes and tradition. What will these people tell their children? Who created the shadow he is talking about? Who chaired the convention where everything was turned upside down?”