By Chukwudi Nweje
The internal wrangling in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), may be getting worse as some members of the party in Lagos, Wednesday, demanded for the expulsion of former Deputy National Chairman, South West of the party, Chief Olabode George from the fold.
The group under the banner, Alliance for Atiku Aspiration, and lead by a former Lagos Central senatorial aspirant, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, who is a member of the party’s Presidential Camping Council (NCC), and also the Governorship Camping Council in the state accused George of consistently working against the emergence of a PDP governor in Lagos State so he would remain the highest ranking member of the party in the state, based on several former offices he had held, and thus remain PDP leader in Lagos State.
In an Open Letter addressed to the National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, and copied to the BOT Chairman, National General Secretary, National Organizing Secretary, as well as the Chairman, and Director General of Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, and the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the party, the group noted that Bode George was guilty of anti-party activities and should be expelled from the PDP.
The letter said in part, “In the last 20 years, Chief Olabode George has used his prominence to mislead, and strangulate the party instead of helping it to grow and prosper. He has perfected his technique of causing disarray within the PDP in Lagos during party primaries, assuring that the party goes into the general election divided, and heading for certain defeat.
“By endorsing new aspirants and openly rejecting the established aspirants, Chief George knowingly triggers acrimony and discord in the PDP political family, and setting mutual suspicion between the factions. He is already hatching his plot to destabilise Lagos PDP as 2023 approaches.
“Bode George’s continued membership of the PDP is a clear and imminent danger to the survival of the PDP in Lagos State, and a threat to its winning the 2023 presidential election.
“He has consistently worked against the emergence of a PDP governor in Lagos State so that no other person will supercede him. He wants to remain the leader of the party based on the past offices he had held.”
It further said, “Arguably his most atrocious act was at his Luguard Avenue residence where he said he was open to supporting Lagos State Senatorial House of Representatives and Assembly candidates, but he was not prepared to support Atiku Abubakar for President, nor Dr. AbdulAzeez Adediran (Jandor) for Governor.
“We regard this Public denunciation of our Presidential candidate as a calculated effort to derail the 2023 campaign of the PDP, It is a determination to damage the PDP by decapitating the head of its campaign structure.
He has shown a blatant disregard for the constitution of the party, as well as a disrespect for the rule of law.
“Therefore, to alleviate these violations and to give Lagos PDP a fair chance of victory in the upcoming 2023 general elections, we appeal to you to use your good offices to serve Chief Olabode George a notice of expulsion from membership of PDP.”
Pearse stated that the ongoing agitation of the PDP G5 / Integrity Group is not based on the need for balance as they claimed but is a veiled war to bring down Atiku Abubakar.
“The G5 are not after equity, they are not after fairness and they are not after Ayu.
“The G5 are going after the presidential candidate. That was the same thing they did when they wanted to get former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013, they went after Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the then National Chairman of the party. When they got him out, they now went for Jonathan,” the letter said.
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