According to a report by TheCable, George, who spoke on News Central, said Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, violated the agreement by choosing popular Nollywood actress Funke Akindele as running mate instead of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
A former military governor of Ondo State and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, has said that the Lagos State PDP governorship candidate, Olajide Adediran, breached an agreement of the party in the selection of his running mate.
According to a report by TheCable, George, who spoke on News Central, said Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, violated the agreement by choosing popular Nollywood actress Funke Akindele as running mate instead of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
George noted that Adediran’s decision to pick Akindele, forced Rhodes-Vivour to defect from the party and join the opposition Labour Party as its candidate for the Lagos governorship election in 2023.
The former governor was quoted as saying, “After their presentation here in my office, we saw that these were the best two we have (Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Adediran), and we asked him (Adediran) pointedly here, would you work with this man as your deputy, and he said, ‘yes sir’.
“Haven’t paid for the price of the form, for us to have a seamless primary, would you take him to be your running, mate, he answered ‘yes sir’
“After that, he came to me to say his mentor, Denrele Ogunsayan asked him to choose a deputy from Ikorodu, a woman. I told him why didn’t you tell me at the time. I’m saying this now for history because that was what transpired. I have heard rumours that I am the one sponsoring Gbadebo.
“He (Adediran) reneged on the agreement. I had to call Gbadebo’s father to tell him that this is getting a bit too dangerous. We as leaders did our utmost to ensure that we have a very seamless primary.”
Speaking further on the internal crisis rocking the PDP, George described Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State as a valuable asset to the party.
According to him, Governor Wike spent his money and time supporting the PDP after the party lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.
“Wike is an asset to the party. There was a vacuum, Atiku came back and got the ticket last time, and immediately after that convention, he left the country for about a year or more. Who was the key man supporting the party?
“We were back in opposition. Did he not spend his time and money making sure, with some other governors, so how can he not be an asset to the party?
“If you put your time and spend your money and wisdom, ensuring that the party didn’t collapse, would you be an asset or otherwise,” George said.
He stressed that the constitution of the party allows for zoning and rotation of elective and party offices, saying that failure to do that will continue to cause “unnecessary division” in the party.
George further said, “I have been pleading with all sides that don’t let us turn this party to the Northern Peoples Democratic Party and Southern Peoples Democratic Party. If we do that, the good wishes of the founding fathers would be lost.
“If we bring about this unnecessary division, we are sending everybody back to the early time, the first republic, the second republic, it would portend evil.
“Wike lost that election. Atiku won. The PDP constitution, section 7 (3C) states that you must adhere to the principle of zoning and rotation of elective offices and party offices.
“The founding fathers stated that once a presidential candidate is from the north, after eight years, it must go to the south, for our party.”