It is both despicable and reckless for a person like Abdul Ningi, a senator from northern Nigeria, to have the audacity to question where Chief Bode George was when former President Goodluck Jonathan succeeded the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010.
The intent behind this question is clear: to push his regional agenda and impose his political godfather on the entire Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
What an affront! But to set the record straight—Chief Bode George, in his magnanimity, was the Director-General of the Yar’Adua Presidential Campaign Committee. He traversed the length and breadth of Nigeria, mobilising support for the late president and ensuring his victory as the elected leader of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was instrumental in ushering the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration into the Presidential Villa as their campaign DG.
However, what followed was a calculated conspiracy to sideline him at all costs. Before Nigerians could grasp the extent of the plot, Bode George was unjustly arraigned for a phantom crime he never committed. Even against the advice of the then-chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu—who dismissed the allegations of financial mismanagement at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as baseless—the conspirators ensured that George was dragged before a Lagos State court for a supposed offence in a federal government agency. This was a blatant mockery of justice.
In Ribadu’s words: “The alleged charges against Chief Olabode George are nothing but a sham. If anybody has any score to settle with him, they should go to the political field.” But the conspirators were undeterred. They manipulated the legal system, using the Lagos court as a weapon to silence Bode George and send him on a journey to the political wilderness. Fortunately, the Supreme Court later overturned the verdict, declaring it a miscarriage of justice with no legal basis.
Those who feared Bode George’s rising political influence sought to clip his wings. Yet, by divine providence, his reputation continues to soar—built on honesty, fearless truth-telling, and an unwavering commitment to justice.
Now, to Ningi’s question: Where was Bode George when Jonathan succeeded Yar’Adua? The answer is simple—Yar’Adua passed away naturally, and his vice president succeeded him as per global democratic standards. No one orchestrated his death, nor could anyone have predicted it.
The PDP was founded on clear principles, laid down by its founding fathers—equity, justice, and fairness. No individual has the moral right to impose a sectional agenda on the party against these principles. The truth remains that the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, held office for eight years as a northerner. According to PDP’s long-standing zoning and rotation system, the presidency will only return to the North in 2031—not before.
It is laughable that figures like Ningi constantly stir controversy just to remain politically relevant. These are either paid agents or individuals serving regional interests, desperate to push personal ambitions. The latest drama being staged by Ningi—a man who has benefitted immensely from the PDP and whose close ties to former presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar are well-known—is nothing short of absurd.
Accusing Chief Bode George of betraying the late President Yar’Adua is a deliberate distortion of facts. The record is clear: Bode George was the Director-General of the Yar’Adua Campaign Organisation. For the three years Yar’Adua was in office, George remained unwavering in his loyalty. No credible individual has ever suggested otherwise.
Ningi’s baseless accusations only expose his true agenda — paving the way for Atiku’s relentless, inordinate ambition for 2027. But they will collectively fail. If Atiku wants to contest in 2027, he should find another party. In the PDP, a southerner will rightfully fly the party’s presidential flag in 2027. There is no vacancy for Atiku, Ningi or their collaborators.
Chief Bode George has always been clear—this is not a personal battle. His fight is to defend PDP’s core principles of zoning and rotation, enshrined in the party’s constitution as its guiding norm. He consistently upholds Section 7, Sub-section 3(c), which states unequivocally that the principles of zoning and rotation shall be sacred and upheld at all times, regardless of whose interests are affected.
For Bode George, the PDP is not anyone’s personal property and cannot be hijacked for selfish political interests. Ningi’s accusations are nothing but a joke carried too far!
*Dare Adeleke writes from Ibadan.
