Chief Bode George criticized the police barricade of the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, preventing party leaders from accessing their meeting, calling it a ploy to stifle internal democracy
Chief Bode George, a former deputy national chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has vehemently criticised the police barricade of his party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, June 30, 2025.
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The action prevented members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) from gaining access to their scheduled National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, forcing its relocation to the Yar’Adua Centre in the Central Business District.
George described the police action as a deliberate ploy to stifle internal democracy within the party. Expressing his outrage, he questioned the legitimacy of preventing party members from holding meetings in their own office.
“They said we will not hold our meetings in our office? What is going on? We must avoid that pit-line, the madness. What is it? Can’t we sit and talk? What is the essence of democracy? Nigerians are watching,” he stated.
The PDP chieftain slammed the police for barricading the party secretariat, deeming it unacceptable and a violation of the rights of party elders.
He drew a strong parallel to authoritarian regimes, stating, “You came to our office, surrounded by police, because you want to have a meeting? You want to turn us into North Korea? Or turn this country into Russia? We will not allow it. Nigerians will not allow it.”
He added a warning to those behind the action, saying, “Let them be very careful. Allow everybody to walk according to the law of the land.”
According to George, some security agents at the scene claimed they were acting on “orders from above.”
Reacting to this, he used a biblical analogy: “You hear biblically — this is the voice of Jacob, but the hand of Esau. Whoever gave the order from above. We have heard it before. I have been on both sides — the military and the civil.”
He urged the authorities to focus on the nation’s pressing issues such as economic, financial, education, and infrastructure challenges, rather than interfering in party affairs.
Despite the disruption, Chief George reaffirmed the party’s commitment to dialogue and unity, insisting that the PDP “is not a private enterprise” and that party matters must be resolved internally.
The BoT meeting eventually proceeded at the alternative venue, albeit under the shadow of the unprecedented police action at the party’s headquarters.
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The incident has further inflamed the ongoing internal crisis within the PDP, raising concerns about democratic freedoms and the rule of law in Nigeria.
