Police Blockade PDP BoT Meeting: ‘Voice of Jacob, Hand of Esau’ Bode George Blasts Security Clampdown
Former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has fiercely criticized Monday’s police blockade of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting, calling it an assault on internal democracy.
Security operatives on Monday morning sealed off the PDP national headquarters in Abuja, barring BoT members from accessing the National Executive Committee (NEC) hall. The BoT was forced to relocate its meeting to the Yar’Adua Centre in the Central Business District.
Addressing journalists outside the barricaded PDP secretariat, George condemned the action as a dangerous precedent, warning that it undermines democratic processes.
“They said we will not hold our meetings in our own office? What madness is this?” George fumed. “What is the essence of democracy if we cannot sit down and talk? Nigerians are watching.”
The PDP stalwart decried the siege by security agents, likening it to tactics used in authoritarian regimes. “You surround our secretariat with police because we want to meet? Do you want to turn Nigeria into North Korea or Russia? We will not allow it. Nigerians will not allow it.”
George argued that preventing party elders from meeting was akin to stopping a landlord from resolving family disputes in his own house. He revealed that police officers on the scene claimed they acted on “orders from above,” citing confusion over the meeting’s notice.
Invoking a biblical metaphor, George described the situation as “the voice of Jacob, but the hand of Esau,” suggesting unseen forces were orchestrating the blockade. He urged authorities to focus on Nigeria’s real challenges, including economic hardship, education, and infrastructure decay, instead of meddling in party affairs.
“Let sleeping dogs lie,” he cautioned. “We have more pressing problems. This country needs solutions, not distractions.”
George reaffirmed the PDP’s commitment to dialogue and unity, insisting that the party cannot be silenced. “PDP is the only political Iroko tree in this country. Can you tell an Iroko tree it cannot stand? Impossible,” he declared.
Despite the disruption, the BoT eventually held its meeting as planned at the alternative venue.
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