A party chieftain and Board of Trustees (BOT) member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has expressed confidence that the party will recover and emerge stronger following its upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on May 15.
Naija News reports that George stated this amid rising concerns over a series of high-profile defections from the PDP, including a significant exodus from Delta State.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Friday, George addressed the growing worry about the departure of key party members, particularly in Delta State.
Among the notable defectors were former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and all 25 local government chairmen from the state. Despite what some have described as a political “tsunami,” George remained optimistic about the party’s future.
“A date has been fixed for our NEC meeting, and after that meeting, you will see that this same Iroko tree, the political Iroko tree, will bounce back,” George said, expressing his belief in the party’s resilience and ability to recover from the setbacks.
He referred to the defections from Delta as “despicable” and a clear sign of “a lack of respect for a platform that honoured you,” particularly criticising what he saw as self-serving motivations behind the moves.
When questioned about the significance of high-profile defections, including Okowa’s, who was the party’s vice-presidential candidate in the last general election, George dismissed the concerns, emphasising that the PDP had weathered similar challenges in the past.
“It is an experience. We have gone through this before. It is not a threat. Because something happened doesn’t mean it is fixed or it is final,” he assured.
George maintained that the defections, while damaging, do not signify the end of the PDP.
He also pointed out that despite benefiting from the mass exits, the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not offer a genuine alternative to the PDP.
“There is hunger in the land. There is anger in the land. What do you think they are going to do there? If it is not a personal embellishment, what are they going to do there?” George asked.
Despite the internal fractures within the party and the public criticism it has faced, George was firm in his belief that the PDP remains far from finished.
He issued a stern warning regarding the consequences of electoral manipulation, stating, “If we lose, we hands off. But if we win and you manipulate the results, you are looking for an unimaginable conflagration. And we cannot afford that.”
George concluded his comments with a message of optimism, insisting that the PDP’s current challenges would ultimately strengthen the party.
“We will come up with a suggested solution which will be unanimous. These challenges we are facing now will further strengthen us,” he said.
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