Bode George Bitter Over PDP Chairmanship Bid, Says Wike
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has renewed his attack on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Chief Bode George, dismissing him as a failed politician still nursing bitterness over being blocked from becoming the party’s National Chairman.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said he had no regrets over stopping George’s bid to lead the party, describing him as a politician who had not won a single election for the PDP in Lagos State since 1999. According to the minister, George’s lingering frustration over the blocked chairmanship bid has been compounded further by the emergence of Deji Doherty, a figure Wike said George does not wish to see leading the party in Lagos State.
Wike stated that George had wanted to become PDP National Chairman and had carried on as though the position was his birthright, adding that he felt no regret in preventing that outcome. The FCT minister went further, questioning George’s frequently cited status as a founding father of the PDP, arguing that the veteran politician had founded something in Lagos that he could not sustain, noting that the party has failed to win any meaningful election in the state since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
The renewed attack forms part of an escalating war of words between the two prominent PDP figures, which has intensified in recent days. Wike had earlier, during a media parley in Abuja on Tuesday, described George as the “father of corruption” and questioned the source of funds used to acquire his Maitama residence in Abuja, alleging links to Rivers State resources, an allegation George has denied and vowed to challenge in court.
The Lagos State chapter of the PDP has come to George’s defence, with the party’s Publicity Secretary, Dr Christopher Odianarewo, describing Wike’s comments as unfortunate, reckless, and baseless. Odianarewo rejected Wike’s characterisation of the party’s electoral record in Lagos, insisting it did not accurately reflect the PDP’s political history in the state, and maintained that George had provided significant leadership that contributed to the party’s successes nationally. He further accused Wike of political inconsistency, alleging the minister had a history of falling out with political associates who had supported his rise, and called on political leaders to embrace constructive engagement rather than personal attacks that risk deepening the party’s ongoing divisions.
The exchange comes against the backdrop of a broader leadership crisis within the PDP, with the Wike-backed National Working Committee, led by Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed and recognised by INEC for the 2027 general elections, continuing to clash with George and other party elders who dispute the legitimacy of the current leadership structure despite a series of court rulings on the matter.
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