Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike, says he has no regret over his role in preventing former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, from becoming the party’s national chairman.
Mr. Wike made this known in a statement issued on Saturday August 8 by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
According to the minister, George’s persistent criticism of him stems from dissatisfaction with the PDP’s decision to zone the national chairmanship to the South-South, a move that effectively ended George’s ambition for the position.
“His anger is because we didn’t allow him to be PDP National Chairman and no regret doing so,” Wike said.
The FCT minister argued that George had continued to express resentment since the party adopted the zoning arrangement which he claimed that the former PDP chieftain was unhappy with the emergence of Deji Doherty in the Lagos chapter of the party.
“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 stated.
The FCT Minister further recalled that after the PDP national convention, while serving as governor of Rivers State, he visited George at his Maitama residence in Abuja in an effort to reconcile with him.
“As a sitting governor, I visited his house in Maitama, Abuja, to appease him after the national convention. His wife attempted to walk me out, but for the intervention of the former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko,” he said.
The minister also criticised George’s political record in Lagos State, alleging that despite his long-standing influence within the PDP, he had failed to secure significant electoral victories for the party since 1999.
According to Wike, leadership within a political party should be judged by electoral performance rather than by status, title or claims of being a founding member.
“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,” he said.
To support his argument, Wike cited election results from George’s former polling unit in Lagos, claiming that the PDP had repeatedly lost there. He referenced the 2019 presidential election, where he said the APC polled 84 votes against PDP’s 40 votes, and the 2023 election, when George had transferred his voter registration to Eti-Osa.
Wike added that George’s frequent public comments reflected his continued interest in political debate, saying he appeared determined to remain active in public discourse.
