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‘It Looks Highly Depressing And Very Disgusting When You Look At PDP’ – Bode George

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"Some Politicians Who Are No Better Than Criminals Have Compromised The Judiciary" - Bode George Cries Out

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has described the ongoing crisis in the opposition party as disgusting and depressing.

Naija News reports that the PDP has been grappling with internal divisions before and after the 2023 general elections, leading to continued instability.

Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, has faced growing criticism, with many party members holding him responsible for the party’s struggles following his takeover from Iyorchia Ayu.

Adding to the turmoil is the dispute over the position of National Secretary. In 2023, the South-East zone nominated former National Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, to replace Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who had been selected as the party’s governorship candidate in Imo State.

The current issue between Ude-Okye and Anyanwu led to a physical fight last week during the Board of Trustee (BoT) meeting in Abuja.

In an interview with Vanguard, Bode George stated there is a need to set up a committee to do an in-depth analysis of the problem in the party.

He said, “I was part of the (PDP BOT) meeting because I was able to join them via zoom. And I have always stated that when you have a problem, if you don’t arrest it on time, it will become cancerous. It will almost consume everybody. I believe the stage in which we are, whatever is happening between the two secretaries, Samuel Anyanwu and a former National Youth Leader of the party, is a reflection of the lackluster approach to solving this problem. I was disgusted.

I was ashamed that this kind of crisis would get to a crescendo where our public image as a party was being eroded. It was a show of shame, very disgraceful. But I thank the members of the Board of Trustees because those of us who were online, somehow when the free-for-all started, when people were punching themselves and misbehaving, they just cut us off. So we didn’t see it again. But my take is simply this, the contentious matter is the young man, I don’t remember his name, a former Youth Leader who is now acting Secretary of the party. He went to the Court of Appeal and the court gave him judgment that he was right to take over the position of the National Secretary. And the National Secretary, Anyanwu, now went to another Court of Appeal that said status quo ante bellum be maintained. It looks highly depressing and very disgusting when you look at the party, a formidable institution, a party that is like an Iroko tree in this country, being decimated because of personal ambition. It bothers some of us that started right from 1998. I have said that resolving this crisis at the midpoint doesn’t make any political sense.

Let us set up a committee and I’ve made my views known to the BoT. As the Board of Trustees, the custodian of the laws and the regulations, the liabilities and the assets of the party, we must be able to set up a committee to do in-depth analysis. What happened? You don’t solve a problem by starting midpoint and thinking, “oh, you can cover up the other one and you can do this”. All sides to me now, all sides of the divide are making us so angry. And what we were saying is to avoid a terrible public image of our party. People have started saying, “Oh, your party is dead”.

We say, “No, the party is not dead”. We can disagree without being disagreeable. We should be able to rise above this pettiness. What happened in that National Convention was the beginning of the crisis and, to date, all sides are still very deep in their trenches, firing salvo. It’s not going to help this country. And the national interest of the party must be much higher than the personal interest of any individual. And no individual can ever be bigger than the party. Let these managers rise above this. Let’s call a spade a spade. It’s drifting, and we are drifting very badly, like a rudderless ship. I will remain consistent in my argument. We must go to the beginning of this madness so that it will never repeat itself. And I am happy that the members of the Board of Trustees, the elders of the party, the custodians were there. But the good thing there was that they were able to manage the crisis. If we do not rise above that pettiness, it will expand. And this is 2025. By the middle of this year, (2027) politics will start. And we keep blaming the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

For me, we have to set up a proper committee that would extricate the mess that started on that Convention Day. And we sort it out. Anybody guilty of any serious offences must be dealt with. It is not a private concern. And we have no apologies. If you are a member of an organization, there are rules and regulations of what you should do. So, follow it. If you can’t follow the regulations, and you think you can manoeuvre A or B for your sustenance, then we ease you out.”