…Seeks return of founding leaders as reconciliation drive gathers momentum
By Peter Salami
The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has intensified efforts to consolidate its hold on the party by reaching out to founding leaders and influential stakeholders as part of a broader reconciliation and rebuilding strategy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In Lagos, leaders of the Wike-backed PDP structure have extended an olive branch to elder statesman and founding member of the party, Chief Bode George, urging him to return to what they described as the PDP’s mainstream leadership platform in order to strengthen the party and reposition it for future electoral contests.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, the State Organising Secretary of the faction, Hakeem Olalemi, described George as a respected party patriarch whose experience and contributions remain indispensable to the PDP.
George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, is currently aligned with the National Working Committee led by Dr. Kabiru Turaki, which enjoys the backing of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. He has also been one of the most vocal critics of Wike’s role in the prolonged leadership crisis that has engulfed the party.
Despite the divisions, Olalemi said the Lagos PDP remained committed to reconciliation and inclusiveness, insisting that there was a place for every loyal member within the party.
“Chief Bode George is always welcome in the PDP. We have immense respect for him and there is room for him within the party,” Olalemi said.
According to him, George’s status as a founding member and elder statesman makes him a critical figure in ongoing efforts to reunite the party and strengthen its structures ahead of the next election cycle.
“Chief Bode George loves the PDP. He cannot leave the PDP. He is coming back to the mainstream to work for the progress of the party.
“He is our father and a foundation member. Nobody can question his place in the party. We will welcome him back to the fold,” he added.
Olalemi said the outreach to George reflected a broader strategy aimed at reuniting party leaders and rebuilding trust after years of internal disagreements.
He maintained that reconciliation had always been part of the PDP’s political culture.
“The PDP is a family. If we use one hand to discipline a child, we use the other hand to bring him back. That is what has kept us together over the years.
“There is room for everyone who believes in the progress of the party. We must put the past behind us and work together to rebuild the PDP,” he said.
The PDP chieftain urged members and stakeholders nationwide to rally behind the National Working Committee headed by Alhaji Abdurahman Mohammed, which the Wike camp regards as the party’s legitimate leadership.
He stressed that unity among party leaders would be critical to restoring the PDP’s electoral fortunes and positioning it as a viable alternative ahead of 2027.
Olalemi also dismissed suggestions that emerging opposition platforms could weaken the PDP’s standing in Lagos State, insisting that the party remained the most formidable opposition force in the state.
“There is no other opposition in Lagos apart from the PDP. Those mushroom parties cannot match us in terms of political experience, structure and reach,” he said.
He argued that many of the politicians currently associated with rival opposition platforms were products of the PDP and would eventually return to the party.
According to him, the Lagos PDP has already commenced efforts to strengthen its grassroots machinery across wards, local governments and zonal structures in preparation for the next general elections.
“We are ready to challenge the APC in 2027. We are reorganising our structures at every level and mobilising support across the state.
“PDP remains present in every part of Lagos State, and many of those now in other parties originally built their political careers within the PDP,” he said.
Expressing confidence in the party’s future, Olalemi predicted that politicians who had left the PDP would ultimately return because of the party’s enduring national structure and political relevance.
“Those who have left will come back to the fold. They know where the structure is and they know where the party is,” he said.