An elder statesman, Bode George, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reaffirming the agitation of the PDP camp of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State for the resignation of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, seemingly simultaneously indicted and shielded Wike if breach of promise upon which George was compelling Ayu to resign as PDP national chairman.
George had insisted that Ayu must resign because of his promise before the PDP presidential primary that he would resign if a northern presidential candidate emerged. Bode George had insisted that it is an ethical matter and Ayu must hold on to his honour.
Bode George had stated: “Let me try and educate the public on this issue; we are not talking about removing him or forcing him, he, himself – Iyorcha Ayu – stated pointedly that peradventure if the presidential candidate emerges from the North, I didn’t say it, he said it publicly, that he would resign.”
George declared that it would only be morally right for the national chairman to resign from his position after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the northern extraction emerged as the PDP presidential candidate.
Some party stakeholders, however, argued that George had subtly indicted Governor Wike and may be shielding the Rivers governor also on the same issue of moral commitment. They recalled that before the PDP national convention, Governor Wike promised to support whoever wins the PDP presidential ricket. They also recalled that Wike was also traversing across the country mobilising PDP members for unity, saying that without unity, the PDP cannot win the 2023 elections.
Bode George maintained that Ayu must resign for a southern PDP national chairman.
George stated: “The issue we are talking about is a purely moral issue …if we use the same moral compass to allow him to contest at that time because he is from the North and chairmanship had been zoned there, it means the presidential candidate must come from the opposite zone, which is the South.
“Now that you took up the ticket, Ayu himself stated completely that once the presidential candidate emerges from the North, he himself would be too happy to resign. So, why are we playing games.”