Ime Akpan
Mr Olabode George, chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and zealous critic of President Bola Tinubu, has appealed to Nigerians to give the president the benefit of the doubt that he would deliver on his electoral promises and turn around the fortunes of the country.
Recall that in the lead up to the 2023 presidential election, former deputy national chairman of the PDP said on several occasions that he would go on exile should Tinubu become the president of the country.
“I will disown Nigeria to take the citizenship of Togo or any other country if Tinubu becomes the president.
“It is a challenge. It would be the most illogical and most disruptive issue to have him (Tinubu) elected as President. If this happens, I will disown Nigeria to take the citizenship of Togo or any other country,” he said.
“Look, what this fellow did in my state, all the lies and the most painful thing was that on the day of the election (2019 election), two bullion vans drove in the daylight to his house.”
In another interview he said those promoting the emergence of Tinubu as president in 2023 need medical examination, adding that he would rather cease to be a Nigerian than see Tinubu become the president.
“I will do whatever is necessary to review and renounce my citizenship if that happens. That kind of fellow? Do you think Lagos is better off? We live here. Look at the state. No drains. Look at what they put at the bar beach,” the PDP chieftain said.
“What is going on? This is my state. We have people who are former governors. If they’d behaved like what he is doing, they’d have been nothing to him.
“So, to have in my head that that kind of character is nominated to be Nigeria’s president… Please, go check all of them [Tinubu supporters]. Something is wrong with them,” he added.
Back in January 2022 after Tinubu had announced his presidential bid, George said Tinubu was not the kind of person to “hand over this massive country to manage.”
“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,” he said.
On March 19, 2022, George reiterated that he was not joking about leaving the country and “be watching with binoculars from afar” should Tinubu emerge as president is no joke.
“If by whatever chance he gets to the villa, I won’t be part of this country. And I am not joking. I can go to Ghana and be watching with binoculars from afar. You will see what will happen,” he said.
However, times and things have changed; what with George pleading with Nigerians to give his one-time unworthy for another year to prove his mettle.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Friday, the 78-year-old former governor of the old Ondo State said Tinubu spent the first year in office to study and correct the failures of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
He said although the president was part of those who formed the Buhari government, taking over and now leading the nation will be different.
“He (Tinubu) had never served at that level (presidency). Well… you will say he was part of the party (APC) that formed the government (of Muhammadu Buhari), but it’s a hell of a different thing taking over and now leading the team.
“To be fair to my conscience, he has had that one-year holiday of trying to study the failures of the past administration. I have given him that one year of grace because now he has seen it and lived there,” he added.
George further said Tinubu’s lack of presidential experience warrants a grace period of a year, stating that even former President Olusegun Obasanjo needed time to adjust in his first year in office.
“I expect his ministers to have come back in one year with those areas of lapses. Even when Baba (Olusegun Obasanjo) became president in 1999, he was still trying to figure out what happened there or vice versa in his first year. Let’s give him more time.”
