2023: 9 Highlights From Powerful Southwest PDP Leader’s Speech That Question Atiku’s Posture as Unifier
- The former national deputy chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George, has revealed that the current structure of PDP leadership has skimmed out the southwest region
- George said that the refusal of the party's national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to step down questions the integrity of the chairman, who had earlier promised to step down if northern emerged as the presidential candidate of the party
- The PDP chieftain noted that the situation in the party is the same that brought an end to the first and second republics
Ikeja, Lagos - Chief Bode George, a former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has again called for the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
George, at a press conference on Thursday, September 15, said that the present arrangement of the party does not favour the southerners as both the position of the presidential candidate and the national chairman are filled by northerners, The Punch reported.
Source: Facebook
The comments of the PDP leaders, however, questioned the proposition of the PDP, which has been presenting its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as a unifier.
The highlights from Bode George’s comment are pointers that Atiku and the PDP may not unifier as the party is trying to project.
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The PDP sets aside its principle of rotation in its constitution
Bode George, in his statement, said:
“In May this year, we elected our presidential candidate in the person of Atiku Abubakar, setting aside the principle of rotation as enshrined in the constitution of our party in the interest of peace and unity of our party.
“Today, we are in a situation in which our National Chairman is from the same zone as our presidential candidate.”
Has any region ever dominated PDP national leadership positions before?
“Some people are insisting that there is nothing wrong with this present arrangement.
“Some have argued that this happened during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, where the candidate and the national chairman were from the same zone.
“Let the truth be told, there are remarkable differences in the scenario then and now. Then we had the leader of the party, who was then a sitting president from the South, and the candidate was from the North.
“In addition, the National Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, was then on his way out. Today we have no sitting President from our party in Aso Villa so that argument falls flat. We need to stop playing games and being zombified.”
How PDP crisis started
“Let me summarise the genesis of the current crisis.
“As envisaged by the founding fathers of our party, there are six top positions in our Country: President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and National Chairman of the party.
“Presently, we are not in government. Therefore we only control three of these six positions, namely: Presidential, Vice Presidential Candidates, and National Chairman.
Did Ayu say he will resign as PDP chairman?
“I remember that Dr. Iyorchia Ayu said pointedly that if the Presidential Candidate emerges from the North, he would resign for a new National Chairman to emerge from another zone before the presidential campaign starts.
“The other three positions are futuristic. It is only when we win the elections that we will fill these positions namely: the Senate President, the Speaker and the Secretary to the Federal Government.
Is PDP an all-inclusive party?
“As a result of the need to have inclusiveness, oneness, and togetherness, it does not make any political sense for the Presidential Candidate and the National Chairman to come from the same zone.
“Now, we have a situation in which some elders are saying “it does not matter”. Can we go into the election with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, from the same zone, leading our National Campaign?
“This will be an affront, an impunity, and an insult to the electorate and party members from the South.”
Ayu fails to fulfil his promise to southerners
“Dr. Ayu promised openly, before the presidential primary in May, to resign, if the Presidential Candidate emerges from the North. So, why has he refused to honour his words? Why is he reneging? What is driving his reluctance not to resign?
“We are promising Nigerians that when we get to government, every tribe will have a say in government, but now, how do we want Nigerians to trust us when we cannot fulfill a simple promise?
“Our National Chairman made a pledge, and in such a short time, he has broken the pledge.”
Southwest Nigeria completely skimmed out of PDP leadership structure
“Our party members from the South are now asking the following questions patently:
“Have we thrown our integrity to the dogs?
“How will Southern PDP leaders convince their electorate to vote for our candidate when there is no substantial National position in the Southwest?
“How can we go into the election season with this type of division and expect to win the February 25 presidential election?”
Can PDP collapse?
“Unless we are united, unless we have fairness, equity and justice in our system, the party and the country are heading nowhere.
“I am not a soothsayer, but I have traversed the length and breadth of our country and have learnt so much politically.
“What I have predicted above will come to pass unless reason prevails and we apply the brake immediately.”
Current Situation in PDP led to collapse of the first and second republic
“It was the same myopic and unpatriotic reasoning that led to the collapse of the First and Second Republics.
“My intervention is about the future of this country because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.”
The PDP chieftain wondered if the North would remain calm if the positions in question were filled by only Southerners.
Another trouble springs up in PDP as powerful leader reveals region that must produce next chairman
Legit.ng earlier reported that the former deputy national chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George, has raised some strong arguments about the crisis rocking the party
Bode Goerge pointed out that the refusal of the party's national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to resign, is an indication that southern members of the party do not matter
the PDP stalwart maintained that the party leaders in the southern region cannot convince the electorate to vote for a party that has no southwestern member in its hierarchy
Source: Legit.ng
