PDP chieftain Bode George has finally explained why he parted ways with Wike, despite supporting him against Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 elections. He accused Atiku and Ayu of disrupting PDP’s zoning system and later rejected Wike. Full details!
Elder statesman and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Bode George, has finally opened up on why he parted ways with Nyesom Wike, despite initially backing him against Atiku Abubakar during the heated 2023 presidential election crisis.
Speaking on Arise TV, the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) member blamed Atiku and former PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, for orchestrating the crisis that fractured the party. According to him, the PDP’s decision to hand both the presidential ticket and the national chairmanship to the North led to internal revolt, which pushed him to align with Wike’s camp—until things changed.
Chief Bode George, a strong advocate of PDP’s zoning arrangement, revealed that he had several discussions with Atiku and Ayu, urging them to respect the party’s power rotation policy. However, they ignored his warnings, setting the stage for the party’s eventual crisis.
“The presidential candidate went to the northern zone, and the chairman of the party also went to the same zone. We said no, it can’t happen like this. That was the basis of the party’s crisis. I didn’t just jump ship to be with Wike or Atiku; I had meetings with both of them and Ayu. They disrupted the system.”
Bode George admitted that he initially aligned with Wike because he was disgusted with Atiku and Ayu’s disregard for fairness. But his loyalty to Wike was short-lived when he discovered that the former Rivers State governor and his allies were planning to support Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
“When Wike’s people came, we had a meeting, and they made me a leader. In the end, we had two presidential candidates from the South, and they said they believed that Bola was the better person.”
Bode George, however, refused to back Tinubu, saying he could not support someone who ruled Lagos with questionable tactics.
“I told them, if you step out of this meeting and talk about supporting Tinubu, I will counter you. You guys have no idea who this gentleman (Tinubu) is. He ruled my state (Lagos), and we know his modus operandi.”
The PDP has remained divided since the 2023 elections, with internal power struggles and defections affecting its ability to function as the main opposition party. The fallout between Bode George and Wike is one of many rifts that have weakened the party’s structure.
Meanwhile, Wike’s appointment as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under Tinubu’s APC-led government further deepened suspicions that he had betrayed PDP—a claim Wike has consistently denied.
As PDP struggles to rebuild ahead of 2027, the big question remains: Can the party survive its deep internal crisis and reclaim its position in national politics?