By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has expressed optimism that the PDP will find a lasting solution to the myriads of crises plaguing it in its next National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, stressing that failure to do so will signal the party’s end.
The elder statesman made the prognosticaton while appearing on Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’ on Wednesday.
“This thing started like a little sore; now it’s almost like a cancer that spreads. It began with the inordinate ambition of individuals; it didn’t just start yesterday.” George said.
He continued, “The PDP has a system by which we will resolve our problem. The day we have the next NEC meeting, we’ll resolve our problem. So many people have been interpreting the position, laws, [and] constitution of the party to suit themselves.”
According to him, the meeting will provide an avenue for honest deliberation. “I believe that when we meet, we will fight, discuss and debate. In the long run, we will come to a unanimous decision because we will now put at the centre of discussion the process established by the founding fathers of the party. Those who don’t like it can take a walk and join another party.”
He added that the party is aware of those stirring trouble and must act decisively.
George, however, warned that if the PDP fails to resolve its issues at the next NEC meeting, “that’s the end.”
Stakeholders of the PDP have been at loggerheads over the structure and leadership of the party over the years.
The brewing crisis rocking the party came to a head in the buildup to the 2023 general elections when some governors of southern extraction kicked against the presidential ambition of the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The governors dubbed “the G5” and led by the current Minister of Transportation, Nyesom Wike, purportedly contributed to the defeat of Atiku at the presidential polls.
The crisis has not abated since then as the party continues to postpone its NEC meeting over supposed clash of ambitions of its prominent members.
These developments must have informed Bode George’s prediction that the next NEC meeting is the last opportunity to resolve the crisis as failure to do so may be the final nail in the party’s coffin.
