Why I Fell Out With Wike After Joining Forces to Oppose Atiku – Bode George
Bode George, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a member of its Board of Trustees, has explained the reasons behind his fallout with Nyesom Wike, whom he had previously supported in the fight against Atiku Abubakar during the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking on Arise TV on Friday, George accused the former national chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, and Atiku Abubakar of causing the internal crisis within the party by disrupting its zoning arrangement. According to George, the root of the PDP’s issues stemmed from the results of the 2022 national convention.
He said, “The presidential candidate and the party chairman were both from the northern region, and we said, ‘This isn’t right.’ That was the main issue within the party. I didn’t just align with Wike and his group for no reason; I had discussions with both Wike and Atiku, including Ayu. They are the ones who disrupted the system.”
George revealed that before siding with Wike, he had tried to reason with Atiku and Ayu, but they were unresponsive to his concerns. Frustrated by their actions at the convention, George supported Wike and his faction temporarily.
However, George distanced himself from Wike’s camp when he realized they were leaning toward backing Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). “When Wike’s people came to me, we had a meeting, and they appointed me as a leader. But eventually, they expressed support for Bola Tinubu, saying he was the better choice. I immediately told them, ‘If you go out and say this, I will oppose you.’ You don’t understand who Tinubu is – I’ve seen his methods in Lagos,” George added.
