A group within the Peoples Democratic Party, Integrity Youth Group, has condemned the Campaign Organisation of Chief Olabode George for what it described as incessant negative attacks on other candidates vying for the chairmanship position of the party.
The President of the pressure group, Prince Henry Okpekpe, made this known in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Okpekpe warned members of the Bode George Campaign Organisation to desist from such “unhealthy and uncivilised acts”, which could further tear the party apart.
He said: “Ordinarily the race for the chairmanship position should be seen as a family affair to be keenly contested.
“There is nothing wrong in having multiple aspirants.
“It is a fair tenet of democracy.
“It provides the people with options from which they could choose, especially at this time when rebuilding the PDP should be every genuine and loyal members’ concern; it should be not a battle to destroy fellow party men.”
Citing various write ups attacking the former gubernatorial candidate of the party in Lagos State, Jimmy Agbaje; former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; and others on the official Facebook page of Chief Bode George Campaign Organisation, Prince Okpepe said: “It is a great source of worry and concern that a revered statesman and elder could be so desperate and ruthless in the use of words against fellow Party members.”
The IYG President noted that since any member of the party was free to contest the chairmanship post and other positions zoned to different sections of the Country, “it is a wasteful and counter productive venture to be running down others when serious candidates are expected to highlight their qualities and good intentions for the party.
“This is the time to sell your candidates and not destroy others as it will boomerang on the Party in future. The PDP needs to be worked upon to have another chance and not continue in the old ways where people like Olabode George brought down the glory of the party.
“Trained military men used to be the most disciplined in the past, but now things have changed and their autocratic do-or-die tendencies and lust for positions seems to have soared.”
The leader of the youth group expressed his deep concern that such development is in fact enough to scare other members of the party about the ambition of the elder statesman to lead the party, wondering “if at the level of campaigns, the team BG could assume this dangerous posture on attacking other members of the party, then there is a great danger handing over the reins of leadership of a troubled party needing reconstruction, reconciliation, and healing of wounds in the hands of such group.
“We are watching how they are running their campaigns as a reflection of how they would lead the Party.”
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