2023 Presidency: Tinubu Can Never Wear the Cap -Bode George

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has opined that former Lagos State Governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, lacks the character to become Nigeria’s next president. 

In an interview, when asked about Tinubu’s perceived presidential ambition, Bode George said “Well, it is his personal decision. For me, I don’t think he has that character — that is my personal belief. I’m not God, but this nation needs a God-fearing, committed, dedicated, selfless human being to be the President of the country. Like I said, it is my own opinion, but he cannot wear that cap.”

He further argued that those who are convinced that Tinubu is capable of ruling Nigeria come 2023 “need to re-examine themselves. They could be lying to themselves. He (Tinubu) ran this state for eight years and he has continued to surreptitiously control the state. No, he doesn’t have them (the traits). I cannot deceive myself. Talking about the head of this nation? Look at his antecedents.

Just mention Alpha-Beta alone, what is behind that Alpha-Beta? And everybody is pretending that they don’t know? Who set it up? Who got all those people in the House of Assembly to approve the bill? Have those people working in Lagos Internal Revenue Service disappeared or what? What is good is good and what is bad is bad. Never have I heard anywhere in a civilised world where somebody will set up a company to be collecting the revenue on behalf of the government and they pay first to the account of that company before they remit the money to the government coffers. What could be more criminal in nature than that?

I look at the future of my state, it is bleak. But of course, after the Federal Government’s debt profile, Lagos State is next. What’s going on in this country that you cannot tell the truth to power?”

Since 1999, Bode George, who is the leader of PDP in Lagos State, has constantly failed to deliver the state for his party, as the APC continues to reign supreme. 

But the PDP chieftain has this to say: “The process of electioneering in this country in the 21st century is a joke, where people are carrying papers by hand from your polling unit to the collation centre. It doesn’t make sense. We’ve been talking about electronic voting, nobody is listening. It’s a joke. Somebody in Lagos has stolen so much money that he’s richer than Nigeria, so how can you win an election?

“Look at the last local government elections in Lagos. The people were so despondent that they didn’t come out to vote. It was a disgrace because they are tired of this life. You say, ‘You cannot win.’ How can you win? Do you know the humongous amount of money the fellow has stolen? With people who are hungry and angry, they would buy them out and write the results for them. I don’t know where this country is going. We need to speak truth to power. Our process is terrible and very heart-wrenching. What is the challenge? Why can’t we do e-voting, so that the votes of the people and the will of the people will be respected? What a joke! We are not serious.

“2023 is around the corner and I am pleading with the President that they should bring out the report of the constitutional conference, revisit it and let us restructure the country. That is the only thing that can bring peace to this nation. All the people jumping all over the place, thinking, ‘In 2023, I’m going to be president,’ it’s all a joke. The electoral process is faulty, so the results will be faulty. The people you will then say are members of the National Assembly or governors will be faulty. We have tried this structure, it is not working and it can never work.”

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