PDP crisis: Bode George warns Wike to behave or leave, calls for decisive action

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has issued a stern warning to members he accused of undermining the party, declaring that it is time for the leadership to take decisive action ahead of Monday’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday, George lamented what he described as increasing acts of indiscipline and disloyalty within the party, insisting that those who are “tired of PDP” should leave rather than destabilise it.

“In life, you have those that can be termed as progress terminators and those that can be termed as success accelerators. If you want to be a progress terminator, please ship yourself out. The party must be strong enough to take that decision,” George declared.

The PDP stalwart said the upcoming national convention, originally planned as non-elective, has become an elective convention following internal crises and the resignation of some key officials. He explained that the zoning committee set up by the NEC was mandated to consult leaders across the country and present its report for ratification.

“All positions in the North will remain in the North and those in the South will remain in the South for the next four years. The committee was to hold consultations with leaders in all zones. So I was shocked when some people started saying it was not inclusive,” he said.

He accused some party members of being influenced by external forces to weaken the PDP, warning that such tendencies will no longer be tolerated.

“What some people in government are trying to do now is to decimate the PDP. In APC, one man holds the key – President Bola Tinubu. He even said he owns the party. In PDP, nobody owns the party. It is a collective responsibility,” George stated.

The former deputy chairman emphasised that the NEC meeting must address the current misgivings within the party and enforce discipline.

“Time has come for this party to rise up and take decisive action. We have made appeals to these people. If they can’t stand the heat, they should get out of the kitchen. Enough is enough,” he said.

‘Wike is my political son, but he must take things easy’

In a veiled reference to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, George cautioned him to desist from acts that could further damage the party’s image.

“I am a member of NEC; he is also a member of NEC. He said he was not invited to the meeting, but we know he was invited. He is my political son and I have told him to take things easy if he wants history to remember him kindly. But when he continues to demean the party and disorganise its procedures, can you do that with Bola Tinubu?” George asked.

He warned that PDP cannot be held hostage by any individual, adding that the party’s survival is more important than personal ambitions.

George’s remarks come amid fresh controversy over a Southern stakeholders’ meeting convened in Lagos on Thursday by the zoning committee. Several PDP state chairmen and lawmakers from the South disowned the meeting, describing it as illegal and exclusionary.

In a joint statement, the state chairmen of Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers, along with the National Vice Chairman (South-East), Hon. Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. O.K. Chinda, and other stakeholders, declared that any resolutions from the meeting were “neither binding on nor reflective of the collective will of the PDP family across Southern Nigeria.”

They alleged that several key stakeholders, including national officers and former governors, were deliberately excluded from the deliberations, accusing the organisers of pursuing a narrow agenda ahead of the party’s November convention.

PDP governors strategize 

Meanwhile, PDP governors are meeting in Gusau, Zamfara State, this weekend to strategise ahead of the NEC session and the national convention scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

A statement from Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, described the meeting as “a pivotal gathering to deliberate on key political strategies and strengthen internal cohesion.”

The governors are expected to agree on measures to stabilise the party as it battles internal dissent and prepares for the 2027 general elections.