Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has vowed never to leave the party, saying other parties in the country are a reflection of ‘a miniature congregation of strange bedfellows’.
George in an interview with Newsmen on Sunday in Lagos said he strongly believed in the ideology of the party, adding that no other political party had the strong principles as the PDP or practised strong internal democracy like the party.
The former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP expressed confidence that the present internal wranglings in his party would be resolved and that the party would get stronger.
“I can’t leave PDP, I can’t. Look, every other party is like a miniature congregation of strange bedfellows.
“They do not have the principles that we have in our party. So why would I leave reality for others? I would rather go home because I believe so much in the principles of the party.
“A rolling stone gathers no moss. If we have crisis in the party, we will stay there and resolve it, we are going nowhere,“ he said.
He said those leaving PDP over challenges in the party were not committed to the party in the first place.
George said some of the heavyweights who left the party had since realised that the PDP was the only party practising true internal democracy.
He said the failure of late Chief Alex Ekwueme, a foundation member, to get the party’s presidential ticket on two attempts meant PDP was not built around individuals.
Speaking on whether the party missed defected chieftains like Mr Peter Obi and Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) respectively, George said that the party did not miss anyone.
He said what had been missing were the selflessness, dedication and progressive politics of the founding fathers.
The PDP chieftain said for the PDP to rise above its challenges, individual interests should be subsumed under the interest of the party.
He said consensus-building, dialogue and discipline were key to the stability of the party.
George stressed the importance of unity, and legacy-building in political leadership, citing the “exemplary conduct” of Ekwueme.
According to him, Ekwueme contested with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and he declared he lost.
Lauding Ekwueme’s steadfast commitment to democratic principles and party unity, George said, “He never, at any time raised his hands to demonise or destroy the party.”
George said Ekwueme was selfless and made sacrifices for the good of the party.
Since 2013, the PDP has stumbled from crisis to crisis, with a faction breaking away to join the formation of the All Progressives Congress which ended the party’s 16 years at the seat of power. After being unseated from the centre of power, the party has struggled with internal wrangling to date.
