PDP: Bode George, Warns Against Throwing Presidential Ticket Open

Former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has warned the party against throwing open its presidential ticket to aspirants from the six zones.

He said the party cannot afford to jettison zoning, which he described as the pillar of the PDP and the legacy of its founding fathers.

George said the PDP should make a definitive statement on zoning of the ticket to the South.

The PDP chieftain maintained that zoning is zoning in line with the constitution of the party.

He said a section of the country cannot be ruling perpetually while other sections remain as onlookers.

George added: “That is why it is rotated in such a way that whatever has been in the North after eight years must come to the South; whatever has been in the South for the last eight years must go to the North.

“It guarantees commitment, it guarantees oneness, it guarantees that you have a sense of belonging to this country called Nigeria.”

The PDP chieftain also said the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, and other leaders, should correct the pitfalls that could mar its chance at next year’s elections.

George, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) and Zoning Committee of the party, also faulted the recent congress in the Lagos chapter, saying the exercise was inconclusive.

The former Ondo State military governor told reporters at the weekend in Lagos that the PDP cannot allow its crisis to fester, warning that the logjam in Lagos, Kano, Anambra and Abia states could be counterproductive.

He said the party’s congress, conducted by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, which produced the current executives in Lagos State, was botched and inconclusive.

George said until the process is reversed, the party would be in disarray the Lagos.

The PDP chieftain said he had written a personal letter to the national chairman over what he called political rascality at a caucus.

He said: “All we are saying is that the procedure is faulty. They only accredited three local governments out of 20 on Election Day and they went in to start voting. How do you know who is from where?

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wrote a report that they accredited only three local governments out of 20. INEC confirmed that after the voting, they counted only three ballot boxes, the 34 other boxes were left uncounted; no sorting that as far as their processes are concerned, the election is inconclusive. Governor Diri went ahead to announce some jokers as winners.

“They must come out categorically to say it. I am saying this for posterity’s sake. Zoning is the political spinal cord of the party. It is like that of human beings. If something affects it, you are done for life.”