•Atiku Abubakar
A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Barrister Taofik Gani, has called on the party’s presidential candidate in the last election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to call his aides to order and guide them against what he observed as their “now intolerable agent provocateur role” which has continued to embarrass PDP in the eyes of the electorates.
Gani, who is former spokesperson of Lagos State of PDP, made the call today in a signed statement, copy of which he made available to newsmen, in reaction to altercation between the former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George and Mr. Paul Ibe, media aide of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Chief George, had, while featuring on Arise Television programme, said that Atiku would have failed as president if he had won at the polls, noting that his emergence as president in 2023 would have created many problems for the country, including unstable polity to which Ibe had reacted, saying that the former Vice president’s administration would rather have ushered in prosperity.
Ibe asserted that an Atiku presidency would have protected Nigeria’s interests, avoiding the favoritism, prejudice, and lawlessness allegedly associated with the current administration, as he quickly recalled the vow made by Chief George to go into exile, should Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then the Presidential Candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) ascend to power, but now oddly silent about the present administration.
“In contrast, we see Bode George, who once threatened exile, should Tinubu ascend to power, now oddly silent about the present administration. Is Bode’s reticence because Atiku is not from his region? It is prudent to consider Bode’s opinions with caution,” Ibe said.
Gani, while denouncing accusations of tribalism and being unfit to be a member of the military levelled against Chief George by Ibe, urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to immediately dissociate himself from the press statement issued by his media aide.
This was just as he noted that the former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, George, had reiterated his stance that the emergence of Atiku from the North in 2023 as presidential candidate after eight years of Northern presidency was against the letters and spirits of the party constitution relating to offices and power rotation.
The former Lagos PDP spokesperson, Gani argued that Ibe’s reaction was devoid of any logic or research, declaring that the elder statesman, George, “a Yoruba, stands out as the most vocal elder of the party against the APC since Buhari and now Tinubu, a Yoruba.”
“Indeed Chief Bode George symbolizes fearlessness and is always ready to speak the truth to power.
“Paul Ibe has just confirmed that he is the worst of the 90% of Atiku’s aides whose incompetence, disillusionment, intellectual laziness, and fairness from public opinion repeatedly caused Atiku his ambition.
“The attempt by Paul Ibe to come out of dormancy is misdirected and dead on arrival. Atiku should dissociate from the press statement and in fact sack Paul Ibe. Obviously Paul Ibe is around Atiku for pecuniary gain and thus would continue to act as an agent provocateur against the interest of Atiku,” he said.
“George has never described Atiku as a rookie to be president, but that Atiku’s emergence was against the PDP democracy and national expectation. Indeed the Atiku emergence eventually alienated many sitting Governors, Ex Governors, Senators, leaders, including Peter Obi and many others, hence the birth of LP as a 3rd force which eventually compromised the expected PDP votes,” he added.
The PDP chieftain described as laughable accusing Chief George of tribalism, saying that such exposes Ibe as a gas lighter bereft of vital information.
According to him, for the sake of clarity, the best friend of Chief George is from the North, recalling that the former PDP Deputy National Chairman also committed all he had as then Presidential Campaign Director General “to successfully return late Umar Yar’Adua, a northerner as president.”
“Thus, accusing George of tribalism is laughable and exposes Paul Ibe as a gas lighter bereft of vital information. For the sake of clarity, the best friend of Chief Bode George is from the North; Chief Bode George also committed all he had as DG to successfully return Late Yar’Adua, a northerner as president,” he said.
“If Atiku does not immediately dissociate himself from the diseased statement by Paul Ibe; caution his aides against a similar reaction and himself humbly admitting the emergence as a political mistake, then the 2023 emergence will remain a talking point which may eventually kill the party, PDP,” he warned.
