A former Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Lagos State chapter, Taofik Gani, has called on the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, to call his aides to order and guide them against their intolerable agent provocateur role which continues to embarrass the party in the eyes of the electorate.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PDP chieftain said the call became necessary following a reaction attributed to an aide of Mr Atiku, Paul Ibe, who accused a prominent leader of the party, Bode George, of tribalism and unfit to be a member of the military.

He said it was necessary for Mr Atiku to dissociate from the statement credited to Mr Ibe arising from some comments made by Mr George on the PDP and Mr Atiku.

Mr Gani said, “Chief Bode George reiterated his stance that the emergence of Atiku from the North as presidential candidate after eight years of northern presidency was against the letters and spirits of the PDP constitution relating to offices and power rotation.’’

According to Mr Gani, Mr Ibe’s reaction is devoid of any logic or research as Mr George, a Yoruba, stands out as the most vocal elder of the party against the All Progressives Congress since the party produced former President Muhammadu Buhari and now President Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba.

He added, “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 farness 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.

“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 Atiku’s emergence eventually alienated many sitting governors, ex-governors, senators, leaders including Peter Obi and many others. Hence, Labour Party as a 3rd force which eventually compromised the expected PDP votes. Thus, accusing George of tribalism is laughable and exposes Paul Ibe as a gas lighter bereft of vital information. For 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 the late YarÁdua, a northerner as president.’’

He added that if Atiku didn’t immediately disown the statement by Paul Ibe; caution his aides against a similar reaction and humbly admitting that his emergence as the party’s presidential candidate was a political mistake, then his 2023 presidential ambition would remain a talking point which might eventually kill the PDP.