Politics

Nigerians will regret if Tinubu becomes President, says Bode George

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2022 1:52 pm

BodexNG

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Bode George and one-time military governor of Ondo State in this interview, speaks on the Presidential ambition of former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general elections and how the PDP is preparing to outwit the All Progressives Congress, APC, during the polls.

What do you think now that the presidential race for the 2023 election is gaining momentum?

I want to clear one area of discussion, there is nothing personal I have against (Ahmed Bola) Tinubu throwing his hat into the ring, but what I am saying (and it is not a dog fight), that we cannot continue to drift. This is a matter of life and death for our country, we cannot continue to drift. Yes, he (Tinubu) has a right to contest legitimately and he has declared but Nigerians must be very careful.

The President has agreed to electronic transmission of results but the other arm, direct primaries, which seeks to remove godfathers’ control in political parties, is still not part of the guideline. Whatever it takes, whatever we will need to make democracy succeed, we must do.

So, I disagree with the APC on indirect primaries because I support direct primaries. We have done it in the past before, which is like Option A4.

Now, having said that, I want to plead with Nigerians to be conscious because Nigeria is in a state of hopelessness and helplessness.

The most annoying part is what he (Tinubu) said that he had been a kingmaker all his life and now, he wants to be king.

Let me remind him (Tinubu) because he is a Yoruba man. In my part of the world, kingmakers are called afobaje. When you are a kingmaker, you do not throw yourself in the ring and say you want to be king.

So, by saying publicly that he is a kingmaker and now he wants to be king, it is a fallacy. As Nigerians, we must challenge and x-ray anyone who throws his hat in the ring because when you come out to campaign, you tell people to trust you with the resources of the country for the betterment of the people.

And so, if you look at his (Tinubu’s) past and all he has done, is he worth throwing tantrums all over the place? It is an insult to us.

And my party will be ready, it will not be a dog fight, we will centre ourselves on justice, fairness and equity. We must not shy from telling the truth to power.

What exactly is the cause of your hostility towards Tinubu? Is it a personal issue?

There is absolutely nothing personal. This is my country. At 77, why will I not be able to tell truth to power? I have some facts about this character.

He ran my state (Lagos) since 1999, finished eight years of absolute nonsense. So, there is nothing personal but to be able to speak truth to power, I owe it to my creator and I owe it to the future generations of this country. I come from a politically potent family. My late granduncle was the late Herbert Macaulay, the first Nigerian politician and he was in the throes of trying to unite both the north and south when he died.

So, we must continue that fight, our country must come out from the doldrums of filth and have people with confidence and character that are salable anywhere in the world and people loyal to this country. That is all.

But if he reaches out to you to support his aspiration, will you support him?

How? I won’t support him. I am talking as a senior citizen in this country. I have nothing personal, this man (Tinubu) does not have what it takes to manage this country. If he does Nigerians will regret it.

Who is he? In his character, in his name, or educational qualification. What I am telling him is what I know. If Nigerians are dumb enough not to see that and they choose that he is the one they want to put forward as president, I wish them the best of luck. I won’t be part of it here, because he will take the country to the gutters.

Will you go on exile if he emerges as President of Nigeria?

I will move away from Nigeria, I’ll leave because he will be your representative in the international plain. Which investment will he bring here? I am not talking because I have any hatred for him. This is not the kind of person we can hand over this massive country to manage. He will be the greatest joke on the international plane. We should bother who should lead us.

Those supporting him are those who have benefited from his largess.

Some people say that your party had the chance to change Nigeria but didn’t do it, that your party is complicit.

Is there any organization, anywhere in the world, that will not have discussions, disagreements? We can disagree but we must not be disagreeable and in my local parlance in my part of the world, we tell people that all of us cannot sleep and face the same direction.

There will be opinions, there will be differences but the quality of management is how you rise above personal interests.

I want to assure Nigerians that in the PDP, we have a culture, we have norms and methodology by which we organize ourselves. Of course, everybody is still throwing tantrums but the final zoning will come up.

Politics

Ex-presidential aspirant, Cosmos Ndukwe resigns from PDP

Published

5 days ago

April 29, 2024 11:49 am

BodexNG

One of the 2023 presidential aspirants of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Cosmos Ndukwe, has resigned his membership of the PDP.

This is contained in a letter written by the former Deputy Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, to the Chairman of his Item C Ward in Bende Local Government Area, and copied to the State Chairman of the party, Hon. Asiforo Okere; and the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, respectively.

The former Chief of Staff to the Governor and Commissioner for Works under ex-Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, cited “personal reasons, current commitments and aspirations” for his decision to quit the PDP.

He commended the party for giving him the platform to come to political limelight, and wished it success in the state.

The letter posted on his Facebook page on Monday morning read, “I hope this letter finds you well. It is with a heavy heart that I compose this correspondence to tender my resignation as a member and stakeholder in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Abia State, effective immediately.

“My decision to resign as a member within the party stems from personal reasons and reflections on my current commitments and aspirations.

“After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that potting out of PDP is the best course of action for me at this time.

“I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that the PDP has afforded me during my tenure as a Councillor, Deputy Chairman Local Government, Chief of Staff to Executive Governor of Abia State, Deputy Speaker Abia 6th House of Assembly and Presidential Aspirant PDP 2023.

“Serving within the party has been a privilege, and I have valued the relationships I have built with fellow members, as well as the chance to contribute to the party’s objectives and ideals.

” I want to express my appreciation to you, the Ward Executive Committee, and all members of the PDP Abia State for the support and camaraderie extended to me throughout my association with the party.

“While I may be stepping away from my formal role, I remain committed to the principles of democracy and the progress of our great state Abia.

“Please consider this letter as my formal resignation from all duties and responsibilities associated with my position as a member and stakeholder in the PDP Abia State.

“I wish the PDP Abia State continued success in all its endeavors, and I extend my best wishes for the future. Thank you once again for the opportunities and experiences.”

The former Deputy Speaker had in an introductory post to the letter written:

“Good morning friends and well wishers. In life, we all have the past. We all made choices that maybe, weren’t the best ones. None of us is completely a saint,
but we all get a fresh start some day.

“Eccl 3:1-5 summary is on time for everything. To me, this is time to leave PDP family. I am potting out for good, new destination to be announced soon.

“My letter has started its journey to the ward chairman, LG chairman, State Chairman and Ag National chairman”.

The PDP has been hit by the wind of resignation following the exit of former Governor of Imo State, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, and over 20 key members of the party in Imo State including a member of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), and zonal officers.

Although the supremacy tussle between former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, is believed to be at the centre of crisis rocking the PDP, funding by Vanguard show that Ndukwe may be on his way to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to assist his kinsman, and the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.

Politics

Ihedioha resigns from PDP, says party no longer a credible opposition

Published

2 weeks ago

April 23, 2024 2:49 pm

BodexNG

Emeka Ihedioha, a former governorship candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo, has resigned from the party.

Ihedioha conveyed his resignation from the party in a letter dated April 23 and addressed to the PDP chairman of Mbutu ward, Aboh Mbaise LGA of Imo; and the national chairman.

Ihedioha said the party has failed to offer “credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)”.

The politician said he has contributed his quota to the “development and transformation” of the PDP since 1998.

“All these years, I have taken pride in the fact that the PDP is a party that will always look inward for internal reforms and provide credible leadership for the people, whether in power or outside power.

“I have had the benefit of serving and benefitting from the party at various levels. Regrettably, in recent times, the party has taken on a path that is at variance with my personal beliefs.

“Despite my attempt to offer counsel, the party is, sadly no longer able to carry out internal reforms, enforce its own rules or offer credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“It is in the light of the foregoing, that I am compelled to offer my resignation from the People’s Democratic Party effective immediately.”

Ihedioha said while the decision to leave the party was “difficult to take”, he believes that it is “the right one”.

He said despite his resignation, he will always be available to offer services “towards the deepening of democracy and good governance” in Nigeria.

Ihedioha was elected governor of Imo in March 2019 on the PDP platform.

Politics

Lucky Aiyedatiwa wins Ondo APC governorship primary election

Published

2 weeks ago

April 22, 2024 8:16 am

BodexNG

Lucky Aiyedatiwa, governor of Ondo state, has clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial ticket for the November 16 election.

Usman Ododo, Kogi state governor and chairman of the election organising committee, declared Aiyedatiwa as the winner of the party’s primary in the early hours of Monday.

Ododo said Aiyedatiwa secured 48,569 votes to defeat his closest challengers — Mayowa Akinfolarin who had 15,343 votes and Olusola Oke who polled 14,915 votes.

Aiyedatiwa won in 16 of the 18 LGAs in the state while Oke won in Ilaje local government area.

The election was cancelled in Ifedore LGA due to issues of violence.

CONTROVERSIAL PRIMARY ELECTION

The APC primary election, which started on Saturday, was marred by allegations of irregularities while there were demands for cancellation by the leading contenders.

Several aspirants alleged that no election took place in most parts of the state.

TheCable reporters who monitored the election in Akure failed to witness voting in several wards in the Ondo state capital.

Olusola Oke, Olugbenga Edema, Wale Akinterinwa, Dayo Faduyile and Jimi Odimayo are among the governorship hopefuls who kicked against the conduct of the exercise.

Folakemi Omogoroye, a female governorship hopeful, described the election as a “complete rape of democracy”.

“I am not going to accept it, and now, I am calling for cancellation and if this is not done, maybe we’ll meet in the court,” Omogoroye said.

Despite the criticism and controversy surrounding the election, the Kogi state governor insisted that the process was transparent.

The primary election took place across 203 wards in the 18 LGAs of the state.

The election was rescheduled in all 13 wards of Okitipupa LGA over the late arrival of materials. The rescheduled election, held on Sunday, recorded a low turnout of voters in some wards.

Members of the party staged a protest in Akure on Sunday evening over the conduct of the governorship election.

Adeniran Oyebade, director-general for Olusola Oke campaign organisation in Ondo central, described the primary as “daylight robbery”.

Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others