The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, of remaining bitter over his failure to emerge as the party’s national chairman.
Wike said he had no regret over opposing George’s ambition, insisting that the position was zoned to the South-South at the time.
The minister spoke in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
“He wanted to be PDP national chairman, and was carrying on like the position was his birthright. We stopped him because it was the turn of the South-South. Since then, he has not stopped being angry,” Wike said.
The FCT minister said he later visited George at his Maitama residence in Abuja in an attempt to reconcile with him after the PDP national convention.
According to Wike, he made the visit while serving as governor of Rivers State.
He alleged that George’s wife attempted to ask him to leave the house before former Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, intervened.
Wike maintained that despite attempts to resolve their differences, George continued to criticise him publicly.
The former Rivers State governor also questioned George’s political influence in Lagos State, arguing that leadership in a political party should be measured by electoral performance.
“Leadership of a political party is not by name, title or being a founding father. Rather, it is about what you are able to bring to the table in terms of winning elections, and in this regard, Bode George is a complete disaster,” Wike said.
He accused George of failing to deliver meaningful electoral victories for the PDP despite holding several senior positions in the party.
“We have managed him even though we know that he has no value. But as it is, since he wants to keep dancing naked in the marketplace of politics, we can’t but allow him,” he added.
Wike cited results from polling units associated with George to support his argument.
He said that during the 2019 presidential election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) recorded 84 votes while the PDP secured 40 votes at Unit 001, Ward E2, Evans Street, Lagos Island.
The minister also claimed that George transferred his voter registration to Eti-Osa ahead of the 2023 election, where the PDP allegedly polled only four votes in his unit.
The claims were presented by Wike as evidence that George lacked the electoral strength expected of a senior party leader.
Wike further alleged that George’s frustration had been compounded by the emergence of another PDP chieftain, Deji Doherty, whom he claimed George did not want to see controlling the party’s structure in Lagos.
He said George’s frequent media appearances were partly driven by the absence of other political engagements.
“Since it appeared that he is not busy, he will continue to make his likes busy by creating reasons for them to jump from one television station to the other,” Wike said.
George had recently criticised Wike over the lingering crisis in the PDP and threatened legal action against the minister over allegations concerning his Abuja residence.
