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Tag: Chief Olabode George

  • Nigerians needs special Yuletide palliative, says George

    Nigerians needs special Yuletide palliative, says George

    Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, on Wednesday, urged President Bola Tinubu to give a special Yuletide palliative to Nigerians.

    He said a reduction in the price of petrol would lower the cost of food and transportation in the country. 

    George said: “December and January are special months to Nigerians. Let President Bola Tinubu bring down the price of petrol to N300 per litre. Only the government can absorb the losses. That will send a message of happiness to all households.

    Read Also: Traders are not terrorists, says George

    “It is a challenge. He can do it. It is important so that people can go into the new year with happiness. The President is the minister of petroleum. If he reduces the price of petrol for this season, the price of food items and transportation will crash.”

    George, Navy Commodore and former military governor of Ondo State, spoke on the state of the nation in Lagos. 

    He said Nigerians have been patient and shown understanding for the current administration since it was inaugurated.

  • Obasanjo to Makinde: Don’t pocket Oyo state govt.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday advised the Oyo State Governor-elect, Seyi Makinde, not to run a Democratic system that would put the government of the state in his pocket.

    Obasanjo said Makinde has the onerous task of striving to transform the capital of former old Western Region, urging the people to keep supporting him to succeed when eventually sworn-in.

    The elder statesman gave the advice when he received the Governor-elect, his Deputy, Rauf Olaniyan, Oyo state chairman of PDP, Kunmi Mustapha, Bose Adedibu, wife of late Lamidi Adedibu, Lagos state PDP chairman, Dominic Agboola among others at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun state.

    The ex-Head of States described such government that serves narrow interest as “democratic so sa po”, meaning pocketing democratic system for personal gains against true democratic system.

    He also advised Makinde to shun corruption.

    “Be transparent and embark on developmental projects, which would be a delight to the people of Oyo state. Please run a government that will be making them ask, where have this type of government been all these years in Oyo state.

    “You must give them something (positive), you must give them good democracy and not that one my younger brothers will call democratic so sa po’ (pocketing democracy).

    “Where there is misunderstanding, call yourselves( your people) together and make peace in the overall interest of Oyo state.

    “He cannot do it alone and since you have supported him now, you should continue to be together. You should be mindful that Oyo people are fearless and they don’t mind, whose oars is gored, that is why you are there now,” Obasanjo stated.

    He promised to support the incoming new government and be available anytime his service is needed.

    In his response, Makinde said the visit was meant to appreciate Baba Obasanjo and seeks wisdom from the elder statesman.

    The Governor-elect admitted that Oyo state was “in a bad shape but pledged to apply wisdom to make things better.

    “He had warned against corruption and transparency. We are very much aware of this too. With God, Oyo state will never be the same again. This is the type of visit that will give us the needed tonic to forge ahead positively in Oyo state,” he said.

    The former Deputy Chairman (South) of the People’s Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George who facilitated the visit, said he called Obasanjo barely 24hours ago to fix the appointment.

    “I want to thank him for granting us audience within the short notice,” George said.

  • ‘PDP returnees are prodigal sons’

    Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Olabode George spoke to reporters in Lagos on a wide range of issues, including the trend of defections in recent times and why all Nigerians must join hands to tackle insecurity across the country. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE was there.

    How do you see the spate of killings in the Middle Belt and northern Nigeria generally?

    As an elder statesman, I have spoken on the matter. In the community where I was brought up, when things are not going well, the elders speak. They should be able to find solution to the challenges. I have lived a great deal of my life and I thank God that I am in my mid 70s. I have never seen things happening this way before. I made suggestions at that time on how such things should be handled; this is not the time for partisan politics. This is a serious national security matter and I suggested that the President and those in government should call for a meeting of stakeholders to find solution to the problem. They should keep behind them personal ambition, interests and rise up for the corporate interests of our nation. We should have religious leaders, traditional rulers and prominent leaders to look into the matter. We still have past presidents, prominent leaders, who are still alive and can look at the matter dispassionately. Right now, as we are heading towards another election, my suggestion is that we should talk and proffer solutions. This is not the time to say I am in government, you are in the opposition.

    The PDP recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with 38 other political parties. What will it gain from the coalition?       

    This nation must survive, I don’t want to be partisan now, I want to be factual. We want to have a government that will harness the resources of the country and can manage the resources of the country for the betterment of our people. So, if you look back even from 1960, have you ever heard of political parties with different ideologies? The parties’ ideologies are simply to the right, left, centre right and centre left. But, that is not our problem in Africa. Do you know where our problems lay? It is the provision of basic necessities like  education, housing, employment for graduates and those who are not graduates. We must be able to create investment for sustainable economic activities, good agriculture etc. Today, we are number zero with all the abundant resources. Then, what is wrong? Whatever you need for your survival is here in Nigeria. Remove that toga of greed, selfishness and look at your land and tap into the resources. As you move from one area to another, you will see that God has endowed us enormously. By the year 2040, the Iyinbo people will no longer produce petrol vehicles, the petrol you depend on will no longer be relevant. This is the time we should start preparing for the rainy days. The technology will be based on electric powered machines. We do not even have enough electricity to run our homes. So, talking about the coalition, ideologically, there are no differences. I remember when we were having a national convention, issues that we would have sat down together to address, we allowed it to get out of our hand. And some of our brothers and sisters headed out.  I said it at the time that the coalition some PDP members went into with the APC was one of strange bed fellows. What has it turned out to be now? They see themselves as Conference for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) with this, how can the centre hold? And because there are no ideological differences, people can easily move from one platform to another.

    Many APC lawmakers and governors have returned to the PDP. What does it portends for the party in 2019?

    Do you remember the prodigal son in the Bible? He told his father to give him his own part of the money that he wanted to go. The father asked him to wait, but he insisted his father gave him his share. He gave him the share and he headed out, socialising everywhere and mismanaging the money. When he could no longer sustain himself, he went out there to fend for himself and got the worst job. He worked as a steward serving the pigs and even eating what should ordinarily go for the pigs. One day he looked at his condition and decided to return to his father in submissive condition and was accepted back. This is a lesson for the party and what do you call experience? It is something that you acquire over a period of time; it is not taught in the classroom. That is to say, what an old man can see when sitting down, the young man cannot see it, even when he climbs the roof top. That is what I have been saying and whatever it is, we must look back to watch where we have been coming from. I am so happy that these people have decided to come to the fold. And because we are not on the same ideological page, you jump from conservative position and you now say you are liberalist. They will say this man is a 4-1-9; not believing what you say, because it is not so easy to jump from conservatism to liberalism. God Almighty will direct us as long as we are fair and just. We should convince Nigerians that this unnecessary imposition, illegality and disregard for the constitution is something that should not be. You have to get your Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and once you get your ballot paper, you ask yourself, am I better off today now? If you are better, vote the APC and if you are not better, vote the alternative. Every four years we renew the mandate and that is the time you decide whether to vote for another party or not.

    What is the state of Lagos PDP and what can you say about the killing of Apapa Local Government PDP chairman?

    What happened in Lagos was as a result of inordinate ambition and lack of respect for the constitution of the party. Why I won’t like to go into details is because the matter is already with the police. Remember when Ali Modu-Sheriff was head of the party, and then Makarfi went all the way to the Supreme Court on the question of who is in charge. I remember the very day after the judgment, Makarfi in his own wisdom decided that there is no victor, no vanquish. We pledged then that we will start managing the party affairs with justice, fairness and equity. We should not personalise things for our own gain. We decided to run the party on the 35 / 65 basis to accommodate the Modu-Sherriff faction and the Makarfi faction. We agreed that it should extend that principle to Lagos; so that Lagos would not be left in the lurch. I later travelled for about three months; by the time I came back there was cacophony of arguments on what were agreed on. The matter was referred to Abuja which we agreed on 35/65 sharing formula.  And how can the minority 35 have more members than the 65 majority in the Lagos executive? We spoke about it and the Salvador fellow reviewed it, because he needed to create his own empire. He was advised to meet the elders of the party to resolve the matter. He started manipulating the list. He headed out to each local government, trying to inaugurate the list he generated. People started calling and I asked what was going on. In fact, he wanted to hold a rally and the national body told him that your leader is not back and could not happen. The national body asked him to stop that the National Vice Chairman Southwest and the National Organising Secretary would be visiting to resolve the crisis. He headed out; he was going from one council to the other. But, each time he reached any council, the 65 majority would disagree with him. Now, he went to Eti Osa. In fact, on that day, they had been to Ikorodu; that was the day the young man from Apapa was attacked and killed. I won’t comment on the matter than this. In the wisdom of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, he said those people who voluntarily reported the matter to him are now found culpable in the murder case. These are people they left home together they are now the principal suspects. How can that kind of police officer be fair in case like that in a place known as the Centre of Excellence? That is what happened the previous evening and by 8 O’clock in the morning he had railroaded them to a Magistrate Court. They are now in detention until the August 27. If that is the attitude displayed by a senior police officer, it is unfortunate.  You have not even started investigation on the matter, but have arraigned them. We have to have the fear of God in mind in anything we do.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently visited you. What is the relationship now?

    Yes, he had made me angry; they accused me and put me before the court and honestly, it was not a joke. But, looking back, I am not angry anymore, because the experience I acquired in the process can never be acquired elsewhere. The lesson that I learnt there, there is no university that can provide that. And the quantum of the power of God cannot be manifested elsewhere. So, I am not aggrieved, because Baba is my Baba. To err is human and to forgive is divine; all these are parts of human frailties. But, when you know that God make the way for you to overcome these challenges you should keep thanking Him. Baba and I are firstly, espirit de corp.

  • Dipo’s loss devastating – Bode George

    Chief Olabode George, former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday said he was extremely pained by the death of his first son, Dipo.

    George spoke when the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, led other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) to George’s residence in Ikoyi, Lagos, on a condolence visit.

    Also on the visit was the Lagos State Chairman of the party, Mr Moshood Salvador and other party executives in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dipo died on Thursday after a protracted illness in a Lagos hospital at the age of 42.

    George, his wife, Roli, and other family members received Secondus and his entourage.

    George said he and other family members were devastated not only because the deceased was his first son, but also that he was a good child.

    He said Dipo was a child that any father would be proud of because of his accomplishments and good ways.

    George said the late Dipo was very humble, as he interacted freely with everyone irrespective of class or status.

    “He was such a good person who was free with everyone and interacted with people.

    “Dipo carved a niche for himself with his enviable accomplishments. He was passionate about the country and he constantly shared his thoughts about national issues.

    “He was a child every father will be proud of. His demise is painful. ”

    George, however, said as sad as the family felt about the deceased’s demise, there was nothing they could do about the loss.

    He said the family would try, albeit hard, to move on after the unfortunate incident.

    George said he and his family trusted in God to grant the deceased son peaceful repose.

    He thanked Secondus and other NWC members for the visit.

    George said the show of support to him and his family had strengthened his belief in PDP as one big family.

    He explained that his commitment to the PDP was total and that he would never leave the party.

    George commended Secondus for his efforts at repositioning the party since he became its chairman.

    He said there would always be issues in a party with diverse people like PDP, and urged Secondus to use his position to stabilise and strengthen the party.

    George also called on all members to see the PDP as their project and work toward its progress.

    Earlier, Secondus said the party was pained by the demise of the deceased just like the family.

    He described George as a prominent member of PDP, noting that whatever affected him would touch the party.

    “We share in your grief at this moment; we are with you and your family.

    “We feel your pain. Losing a son, a first son for that matter, is always a painful thing to parents.

    “We know the feeling in your family right now. One of the future leaders of the country is gone. We sympathise with you, ” he said.

    Secondus prayed for the peaceful repose of the deceased’s soul and asked God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the great loss.

    Read Also: Bode George’s son’s burial Thursday

  • Ekwueme: End of an era- Bode George

    Ekwueme: End of an era- Bode George

    A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, on Monday said the death of Dr Alex Ekwueme signalled the end of an era.

    George, mourning the second republic vice president of Nigeria in a statement in Lagos, said his demise is a painful national loss.

    “He was a gentleman, a thoroughbred; civil, humble but yet radiated a powerful intellect and a scholarly presence, stripped of arrogance.

    “His death is the end of an era, a sad departure of one of the very significant symbols of those who dedicated their lives to the service of our nation,” George said.

    Read Also: Ekwueme dies at 85

    He said Ekwueme was a great patriot and an outstanding statesman who contributed immensely to the development of the country.

    While saying he would be sorely missed by all, he prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul and fortitude for the family to bear the loss.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ekwueme,  Vice -President between 1979 and 1983, died at 85 in London on Sunday night.

    He had been ill before being flown to the United Kingdom for further medical attention.

  • PDP chair: Drama as Dokpesi drums up support for George

    PDP chair: Drama as Dokpesi drums up support for George

    THE race for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman took a dramatic turn yesterday as one of the aspirants, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, openly drummed support for a rival aspirant, Chief Olabode George.

    Dokpesi had made a dramatic appearance at George’s campaign office in the highbrow Maitama, Abuja, where the latter was having an interactive session with his supporters and other stakeholders.

    The media mogul, who arrived midway into the event, swapped his traditional cap with George’s branded campaign fez cap, with the bold inscription ‘BG’ (Bode George) embossed on the cap.

    Describing George as a man that had made invaluable contributions and services to the Nigerian project, Dokpesi said he was at the event to give full solidarity to a fellow aspirant.

    Dokpesi said: “Let me thank Chief George not only for his contributions to the PDP but also for his services to Nigeria.

    “My presence here is to give full solidarity to Olabode George. We rose from a meeting yesterday and we agreed that this contest is going to be a family affair.

    “He is a team player, very courageous.  In 2019, we cannot succeed without the support of Bode George or any of the other aspirants.”

    George, who addressed his supporters before Dokpesi’s arrived at the venue, assured that he would be a team player, if given the chance to lead the party.

  • How PDP can regain power, by George

    How PDP can regain power, by George

    Chief Olabode George is the former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on the protracted crisis in the party, the challenge of reconciliation and harmonization, and preparations for its national convention.

    How is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) preparing for its national convention?

    You know, because we have been in limbo for a long time, we need to do a lot of cleaning; getting rid of the debris, repositioning, re-furniture. What we are doing now is to get all the structures that have been dormant to start working; the Board of Trustees, the Caucus. We need to clear the house and prepare ourselves before our convention. That’s why after the Supreme Court judgment, we met at the party secretariat to celebrate the victory and called the meetings of the BoT, the Caucus, and NEC. And a lot of decisions were taken. When Sheriff was there, he reversed some of the executive committees in some states. A decision was taken that all those illegalities should be thrown into the dustbin. A mini convention became necessary. The tenure of the National Caretaker Committee will soon expire. It was necessary to extend the tenure till the national convention is held. That’s why there was need for a min-convention. We will then prepare for the main elective convention.

    How is the party tackling the challenge of reconciliation after the court verdict?

    There are two committees that were set up. The decision was: no victor, no vanquished.  But, having given that olive branch, the party will not condone those who may still continue to commit offenses as against the constitution. We have resolved that the constitution of the party must be upheld. The issue between us and Sheriff was a constitutional matter. Now, the Supreme Court has said that what is stated in the constitution is sacrosanct. Nobody must disobey it. Therefore, all those who have been firing negative information, demeaning the party after the NEC meeting, will not be left unattended to. If you don’t like the heat, get out of the kitchen. Now, they know what the rules are. Many of them are still saying a lot of unprintable things. The party cannot fold its arms. We must entrench and sustain discipline, which is the keyword in any organisation. So, they have set up two committees; Disciplinary Committee and Reconciliation Committee. To err is human, to show forgive is divine. But, those recaltricant people who still bring the party into odium will not be accepted. The Disciplinary Committee will invite them. If they refuse to appear before it, there is a procedure for discipline. The PDP is not a reckless and lawless organisation. They will follow the due process and give everybody the right of response.

    What are the lessons the party have learned from the protracted crisis and litigations?

    A lot of lessons. One, we must not play God. In any organisation, there are rules. Two, the rules must be obeyed. Three, it is not a jungle. People must follow the due process and procedure. It is a big lesson. There are offences and sanctions. Don’t personalize the issues. Nobody can be 7bigger than the party itself. People must be committed, loyal and faithful to the system. The system is the constitution of the party. Lastly and very importantly, people forgot and played God. When the crisis started, some elders warned that they should be careful. They were boasting that they owned the party. We made mistakes during the election. There was a confusion between those who want to properly manage the party and those who wanted to hijack it. A lot of things went wrong. But, we were lucky. We got a bloody nose, instead of a technical knock-out. We have learnt now that the heart of our policy as a party must be people-centred. The real name of the party in the Peoples Democratic Party. Anything we do, either in government or in the party, the centre piece must be how can we alleviate the suffering of those who queue up to vote for the party on election day. Those who are elected should know that they are not masters to those who elected them. They are their servants. This is a major lesson we have learnt. Anything we do outside that, we know what the result will be. In another four years, you should know that you will go back to the people for endorsement. The will of the people should be respected.

    How can the PDP avert a rancorous convention?

    We have rules. There cannot be a rancorous convention, like the other one. People cannot play God and say they are the owners. The party is a congregation of members that own the party. Nobody should be able to hijack the party. They have seen the consequences of that. You need a lot of outreach. You need to do consultations because it is a democratic organisation. There will be people for and people against. There must be a robust debate. The best idea prevails. Majority will have their way. But, the minority must have their say.

    Can the PDP design a novel way of financing the party, instead of relying on the governors?

    The party must as a matter of urgency. The governors too were ordinary members before they became governors. There were governors before and they are now ex-governors. Whatever we do, let the book of history justify our activities. Whatever you do today; the success or failure of a leader will be on the pages of history. You are there for now; do what is needful, do what is righteous. I will remind our people about the book of Prophet Amos in the Bible. When the Israelites were playing God, they forgot that there was God Almighty who was protecting them. And they started worshipping idols. They forgot the unseen hand protecting them. When they realized that they had reached the wall of Babylonians, they now ran back. They wanted to give to God a lot of sacrifices; big cows, rams and praising and worshipping God. God said He didn’t need all the sacrifices and songs. In Amos Chapter five, He said, let justice flow like a stream and righteousness like a river that will never go dry. You are there today. You can’t be there perpetually. Life is about good legacy. I have lived enough to realize that what is good for you is to do you bit and leave the rest for those coming behind. Only God is limitless. He is eternal.

    In 1999, we started. Where are those formidable governors today? You can’t hijack the party. If the previous people had hijacked the party, like what happened recently, the system would have collapsed. We should avoid those pitfalls. In the next three or four years, I will still be active in politics and in the party. After that, age will not be on my side again. I will have to leave the stage and look from somewhere. But, we need to reposition the party to reflect the vision of the founding fathers who established the first national party in Nigeria.

    Is the zoning controversy still going to be resolved in favour of the Southwest during the PDP national chairmanship race?

    I don’t see any problem there. It is North/South. The national chairmanship comes to the South because the presidency goes to the North. Here, the Southeast had had their time as the national chairmen of the party. The Southsouth acted as the national chairman and they just left the Presidency. Now, the electoral value of the Southwest is strong. Lagos alone has a registered voters 6.5 million. If you total the electoral figures of other states in the Southwest, they are enormous. We don’t play God. If it is not going to be ours, we don’t ask for it. It is a matter of right. A decision was taken in Port-Harcourt where it was zoned to the Southwest. I was at that meeting. We can’t start to do another rumbling in the jungle. Let the sleeping dog lie. We don’t have time. We need to stabilize the party. It has nothing to do with personality or individual ambition. I was at the party secretariat for 10 years. We were able to manage the party. It can’t be the best. But, we did what was right to sustain the party continuously for 16 years. But, this misfortune is just a lesson to us. We were cruising and the plane has reached an auto-pilot. Suddenly, you hit a storm. It is a wake-up call. If you don’t take an emergency action, there may be problem. Let’s do the needful. Our conventions are like carnivals. That’s the beauty. We must re-present our party to the electorate. Some people said the PDP was dead and will not rise again. But, it has withstood all kinds of storm in the past and survive. We have a very strong and solid taproots, planted by our founding fathers, who came from all the nooks and crannies of the country. This is the awesome power of God. We were cruising. We were thinking of the next 60 years. Then, we lost focus. Thus, we were bound to hit the storm. But, it is a wake-up call for us.

    Can the PDP bounce back to power in 2019?

    Yes, we are on the track. People were saying that the PDP was dead. But, the party is on the track again. My concept of life is that you should not lose focus. If we do not deviate from the constitution of our party, the rule of law as stated there, we will get back. The electorate want to see an alternative. We must be able to present a robust idea to balance governance. This nation is massive; Lagos to Maiduguri, Delta to Jigawa, Calabar to Sokoto. We are the giant of Africa. We can bounce back, if we come together and do what is right.

  • PDP chairmanship: Babatope, others back Bode George

    PDP chairmanship: Babatope, others back Bode George

    A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ebenezer Babatope, on Wednesday beat the drum for the party’s erstwhile National Vice-Chairman (South), Chief Olabode George as the national chairman.

    Babatope told a news conference in Lagos that George was the “best man” that could pilot the affairs of the party “to a new and glorious beginning.”

    The former Minister of Transport said George was a loyal, tested and a responsible party man and that he had the credentials to return the party to winning ways in 2019.

    He said although the position had not been zoned to a particular area of the country, “it is only right and fair that the South-West to produce the chairman since it has not produced any since 1999.

    “I stand here today in historic significance to testify to the truth and to affirm the righteous path.

    “Our party, the PDP was in power for 16 years of unbroken democratic governance. In this particularization, every zone had enjoyed the helsmanship of our party leadership except the South-West.

    “This is troubling, this is not fair, this is unacceptable,” Babatope said.

    Babatope said he was leading a mobilisation support team for George based on his conviction and other southwest leaders in the ability of the party chieftain to lead the PDP.

    Babatope, who described George as morally upright, noted that his conviction for corruption had been nullified by the Supreme Court which described his conviction as a “frame up”.

    He called on party members in the zone to bury their hatchet and support the aspiration of George.

    Former chairmen of the party in Ogun and Lagos State, Chief Joju Folarin and retired, also spoke in support of George for the chairmanship race, saying he has the track record.

  • Calls for Buhari’s resignation over ill-health wrong – Bode George

    Calls for Buhari’s resignation over ill-health wrong – Bode George

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, on Thursday faulted calls by some politicians on President Mohammed Buhari to resign over his ill-health.

    George faulted the calls while speaking with some journalists in Lagos, describing them as wrong and inflammatory.

    He said it was inhumane of anyone to pressure the president to step down from office just because he was having some health challenges.

    George pointed out  that it was only the president and his managers who could decide when he was incapacitated, adding those making the calls are taking politics too far.

    He said though he had always been in different camps with the president, he was always praying for his quick recovery,  urging all Nigerians, irrespective of political allegiance, to do the same.

    “You see, I don’t support the call by some people that the president should resign because of his health.

    “Even though I have always been on different camps with the president, I do not think it is right for anybody to have evil thoughts towards him.

    “He is ill and we can only wish him good health and pray for him; calling him to resign because of this is getting beyond politics. He is a human being and only God knows the appointed time for everyone.

    “The holy book says we should always pray for people in authority; I think the president deserves everyone’s prayers, not comments that could even outrage some people and create unnecessary tension, “he said

    According to the former military administrator of Ondo State, Nigeria is experiencing some challenges which require everyone to join hands to overcome.

    He said the predilection of some people to make inflammatory comments along ethnic and religious sentiments would escalate the tension in the land.

    While saying people have the right to speak up against marginalisation by the Nigerian state, he such agitations should not be fashioned in a way that suggested secession.

    George said as a stateman who had an unwavering belief in the non-negotiability of the unity of Nigeria, he would never support the disintegration of the country.

    He decried the falling nationalism and patriotism among Nigerians, which he said was making people identify more with tribes and religion rather than the country.

    The PDP chieftain said it was unfortunate that the good idea of restructuring was being given all sorts of colourations to suit ethnic and regional sentiments.

    He said the only form of restructuring that he would support is the one that would make the centre unattractive and empower states to develop faster.

    George said it made no sense to have all the resources at the centre while states came cap in hand all the time for federal allocation.

    “People talk of restructuring to mean let everyone go on his way, let the country break and all of that. That to me is not the idea of restructuring.

    “The restructuring that was approved at the last national conference, which I think is the right thing, is to make the centre less strong and make the states stronger.

    “A restructuring that will empower the states to control resources and give like 30per cent to the centre.

    “That is the restructuring we are talking about. The form that will accelerate the development of the states, which in turn will fast track national development,” he said.

    On the crisis in the PDP, George said the party was having some challenges at the moment, but expressed the optimism that the party would overcome its problems and come back stronger.

    He said people saying that PDP would die were missing the point as the party was laid on a very strong foundation that could last for so long.

    George explained that the PDP was created for the unity and prosperity of the nation by its founding fathers and its national spread would make it stand the test of time.

    He dismissed rumours that he would soon dump the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he would rather quit politics instead of going to APC.

    The PDP chieftain expressed disappointment over the defection of some party members at the trying period,  and said their action meant they were not committed in the first place.

    “I am disappointed at those leaving this party at this time. As for me, I would rather quit than defect.Whoever is saying I plan to defect to APC is lying. I am not a chameleon. I do my things straight. I can never go to APC,” he said.

    George said the crisis in party had put it in quagmire as it prepared for July 22council polls in Lagos.

    He said he hoped the same fate that befell the party at the Benue State council polls where APC had an easy win as a result of infighting in PDP would not occur in Lagos polls.

    According to him, the party is earnestly waiting for the Supreme Court judgement on Ali-Modu Sherriff and Ahmed Makarfi case, as it is important its future.

    He said his commendation of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos was borne out of the acknowledgement of his successes in infrastructural development in the state.

    George, however, said the PDP would give him a good run for his money in 2019, as it would present a seasoned candidate who would outperform him.

    He said it was worth it to celebrate Lagos at 50, but said visionary leadership and commitment was required to push the state to an enviable level of development within the next 50years.

  • I’m impressed with Ambode’s performance so far – Bode George

    I’m impressed with Ambode’s performance so far – Bode George

    A former deputy national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George has hailed the performance of Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode in the areas of infrastructural developments urging the governor to do more in order to etch his name in gold upon the completion of his assignments in office.

    Speaking in a chat with newsmen Tuesday, George, who is the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, said though he has never met Governor Ambode and they belong to different political parties, the governor deserves commendation for what he has done so far in the areas of infrastructural developments in Epe local government and other parts of the state and also in the area of traffic decongestion in the state.

    While admitting that governing a cosmopolitan city like Lagos is a huge task, George, who hails from Lagos Island Local government in the state also appealed to the governor to help in developing his local government and other areas of the state.

    According to him, “I have never met this young man but I must say that I am impressed with his performance so far especially in the area of infrastructural developments. I don’t know everywhere in Lagos because I hardly go round but I must sincerely commend him on what he is doing in Epe Local Government. I am very proud of what he is doing there. I passed through Epe recently and I thought I was in a different state”.

    “I want to appeal to him that when he is done with Epe, he should head back to my local government, which is Lagos Island so that when he leaves office, not will Epe people remember him for his performance, but the entire Lagos will remember him and say ‘yes, there was one Governor that passed through here and his name is Akinwunmi Ambode’.

    “I also must commend him in the area of traffic management especially in the area of traffic decongestion in the state”.

    “He is a Yorubaman and he is doing his best but I know that we as opposition will do better when we get there. My advice to him is that he should ensure that the standards of living of Lagosians are improved especially in the areas of education and healthcare. I must commend him because it is not easy governing a state like Lagos. Lagos is like the New York of the United States,” he said.