By Hudu Yakubu Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George, has been advised to borrow a bit of maturity that comes with old age from those with whom he ruled Nigeria 38 years ago, take a rest and “stop embarrassing himself and the Yoruba race by persistently dancing naked in the market place of politics.”
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, said “For someone who was Military Governor of the old Ondo State in 1988 (38 years ago), some level of decorum and maturity is expected. But it is becoming an embarrassment the way a man like Chief Bode George, who should be acting like an elder statesman, is jumping from one television station to the other to malign people who are young enough to be his children.”
Olayinka, who challenged Bode George to show what his leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State has produced, added that “Since 1999, he has not won his polling unit for the PDP.
“Unlike Lagos State, we have had PDP governors in Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo and Osun States. Methinks rather than doing ‘cho cho cho’ all the time, Bode George needs to tell Nigerians why PDP has remained at the sideline in the politics of Lagos State since 1999.”
Admonishing Bode George to begin to “act like an elder that he is supposed to be,” Olayinka said; “Even if a man was overspoilt, rascally, too playful and dull as a child, at 81, he should have outgrown those vices.”
He said; “In Yorubaland, it is a strict cultural and traditional rule to respect elders. However, this respect is not automatic, it is conditional and the major condition is that an elder must avoid disrespecting himself. That is the reason it is said that ‘an elder who chooses to tie corn to his waist and run around will have fowls chasing and making mockery of him.
“Today, who among those eminent Nigerians who served as Military Governors with Bode George between 1988 and 1990 are doing ‘political we no go gree’ up and down, jumping from one media house to another to lie? Even in the PDP, who among those who served in the party’s National Working Committee with him is talking anyhow in the media as he is doing?
“Most importantly, to be respected, an elder should honour his own words. Six times, Bode George vowed to leave Nigeria should Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as President, he never did.
“In 2015, ahead of the presidential election, Bode George promised to go on exile if APC emerged victorious in the presidential election.
“In February 2020, he said he will disown Nigeria to take the citizenship of Togo or any other country if Tinubu is elected president.
“On May 7, 2021, on Arise News, Bode George echoed his stand that he will cease to be a Nigerian should Tinubu get the presidency.
“Also in 2021, while featuring on Arise News, Bode George said he will review and renounce his citizenship of Nigeria if Tinubu becomes president.
“In January 2022, after Tinubu had announced his bid to contest for president, Bode George said he will move away from Nigeria.
“At a press briefing on March 19, 2022, Bode George further reiterated that his promise to leave Nigeria if Tinubu emerged president was no joke.
“He said then that ‘If by whatever chance he (Tinubu) 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.’
“Now, it is more than three years of Tinubu as President and he (Bode George) has failed to honour his own words. Should such an elder still be regarded as honourable?”
The FCT Minister’s Spokesperson insisted that the Minister will continue to stand by what he said that Bode George lacked the required moral standing to sermonised about corruption, being one of the founding fathers of corruption in Nigeria.
“Wike was clear. He said Bode George’s Abuja house was acquired with funds from Rivers State, and he stands by this.
“Bode George said he bought the property from a private owner through an agent. That is not the issue.
“Wike’s statement was never about who the property was purchased from or through. Rather, what he said was that the money with which the property was acquired came from Rivers State, and this is the question Bode George must answer,” Olayinka concluded.