It seems devil is now in PDP, says Bode George on Wike, Atiku dispute

Bode George, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has pleaded with Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, and Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate, to shelve their differences.

The opposition party has been embroiled in crisis since the conclusion of its presidential primary election in May.

Wike had contested the presidential ticket but he lost to the former vice-president and began seething claiming there was gang up against him.

The matters aggravated after Atiku Abubakar named Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

Following the announcement, some party stakeholders expressed concerns that Abubakar overlooked Wike — who was said to have been recommended by a panel set up at Abubakar’s instance.

Efforts by PDP stakeholders and elders to resolve the crisis have since proved abortive.

Speaking on the matter on Wednesday during a ChannelsTv interview, George said Atiku and Wike must understand that their ambitions cannot trump the supremacy of the PDP.

George said there is no organisation that does not go through the kind of crisis PDP is currently enmeshed in but it’s how they manage the situation that shapes their future and trajectory.

“It is a major bother not only for me, it is a bother to a lot of the committed elders and members of the upper chamber of the party. It looks like some kind of devil has entered into the midst of our party,” he said.

“We have the capacity to resolve our crisis; we have enough experienced leaders, committed followers, who will sit and be able to resolve this crisis once and for all.

“Unfortunately we have a month and a week before we commence the campaign, my appeal now is that Governor Wike should cool down, presidential candidate Atiku should also cool down because none of their ambition should be bigger and higher than the ambition of our party. We are appealing to both of them.

“Because there is no organisation anywhere in the world that would not have crisis but the capacity and the ability to handle the resolution of such crisis would be a measure of how developed, reliable or respectable that organisation is.”