I Will Not Vote For Atiku – Bode George; Says PDP Shut out Yoruba, Mocks Atiku

By Adesina Soyooye

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  Chief Bode George, has said he will not vote for the Party’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Party, also said the South-west has been marginalised by the Party. The Zone, he pointed out, has never produced the Chairman of the Party since 1998. He, however, forgot to add that the Zone held the office of the President of Nigeria for eight years.

George spoke in an interview on Sunday with The Nation where he mocked Atiku and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, who doubles as the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council. He laughed over Tambuwal’s visit to the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom on Sunday.

Ortom is one of the five PDP Governors, led by Governor Wike of Rivers State. They are at loggerheads with the leadership of the Party and its Presidential Candidate, Atiku. Their grouse, they say, is based on justice and equity. They argue that both the National Chairman of the Party and the Presidential candidate cannot come from the same Zone. They, therefore, insist that Dr Iyorchia Ayu must step down as the National Chairman and make room for a Southerner, a promise, they allege, Ayu made before the Presidential Primary to quit if the Candidate emerge from the North, but has now backed out.

The Group, popular as G-5, now renamed Integrity Group, are made of Wike, Ortom, Governors Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia, Seyi Makinde, Enugu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu. They also have members from from a number of PDP stakeholders, including former Governors, Deputy Governors and more. Bode George is one of them.

All efforts to resolve the crisis, including the five times Atiku personally met Wike, have been in vain. The Tambuwal visit to Ortom was to find a solution to the crisis.

But George has pooh-poohed the visit, and mocked Tambuwal and Atiku. He interpreted the visit as a ploy to break the ranks of the Integrity Group, but assured that it would never happen. He explained that their union cannot be penetrated and said Tambuwal’s visit was in vain. Nobody can split them, he boasted.

According to George,  the G-5 Governors and their allies are so united that nobody can split them, especially, as their fight, he insisted, is for justice and fairness.

He said: “Divide and rule cannot work. Governor Ortom will not agree. He is a reasonable person.

“Our rank cannot be broken. Let the governor of Sokoto go to any where he likes. We will stand by justice.”

George labelled Atiku insincere, and asked how the Presidential candidate   who failed to restructure his party, would promise a restructuring of the country. He, also, said that the South-west has been left out of everything in the PDP.

George: “The Director-General of the Campaign is from Sokoto, North-west. The National Chairman is from North-central. The Presidential Candidate is from Adamawa, North-east.

“The Acting Chairman of BoT is from South-east. The Vice Presidential Candidate is from South-south. There is nothing for the South-west. And you are fooling us. Which rank do they want to break? He cannot do restructuring in his party. He is promising restructuring for Nigeria. He is disrespecting Yoruba. We are standing by the truth. I won’t vote for him and I will not stop talking.”

Some forces in the PDP, George pointed out, are trying to deny Yoruba its sense of belonging. He noted  that the South-west has never occupied the office of the National Chairman in PDP since 1998.

George: “The first Chairman, Chief Solomon Lar, came from North’central. Chief Barnabas Gemade is from Benue, North-central. Chief Audu Ogbeh is Benue, North-central. Dr. Ahmadu Ali is Kogi, from North-central. Baraje is from North-central. Ayu is from Benue, North-central.

“Southwest has not served as Chairman before. They have disregard, disrespect and dishonour for Southwest. We will not accept it.

“The South-west is cut off from decision making organs of the party. It is sad. We cannot be slaves.”

However, as the leadership of the PDP continues to look for a solution, the Party has moved on, and campaigning, in earnest against 2023.