A former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George has said that Nigeria needs devolution of power and not secession as being canvassed in some quarters. He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to save Nigeria from collapse by implementing the 2014 National Conference report.
The former military governor of Ondo State, in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, said the current system of governance in Nigeria is not working, which leads to agitations from various groups threatening to secede.
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“Forget about zoning to the North or South; it is not working and I am ready to debate it anywhere. We had a constitutional conference under a civilian administration for the first time in the history of this country. We started and ended it peacefully. The military had prepared the constitution for Nigeria and this hierarchical system we have is not working,” he said.
He said the conference recommended devolution of power or restructuring so that the government can be closer to the people and each state can develop at its own pace.
“The current system we are running is not working. We are deceiving ourselves, and that is why we are retrogressing instead of moving forward. I don’t want to talk about rotating power or remaining in the North, devolution of power is the solution. If we don’t do that, then Nigeria will be a huge joke in the comity of nations,” he said.
Chief George, who lamented that the spate of agitations in the country had led to mistrust among the various ethnic groups warned separatists to jettison the idea of dividing the country.
“The president has two more years, let them be the most fruitful of his administration because the records of his performance will be on the pages of history. Let it be positive. I am appealing to the president not to leave something sour in the mouths of Nigerians.
“Right now, we detest ourselves and there is fear everywhere. The trust of one ethnic group in another is fading. Where are we going? If we devolve power, it will be to the advantage of everybody in Nigeria,” he added.
The PDP chieftain also rubbished the 2023 presidential ambition of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, stressing that the former governor of Lagos State cannot lead the country.
“The people working for him, I believe they must have some kind of lunacy in their heads. First of all, look at his character. In the form he filled the first time he wanted to be governor, he stated that his primary school was popular, which he did not attend. He said his secondary education was at Government College, Ibadan. What year? Who were his classmates? He also stated that he had a certificate in Accountancy in a Chicago university; where are the papers? Let him present those documents.
“He also said he was above 60 years old; how old is his daughter? Is he saying he had a child when he was still a baby? Tinubu is over 80 years old and he wants to be the president of this country at this age and bring Alpha Beta to the national stage,” he said.
He labelled the presidential ambition of Tinubu as a huge joke, stressing that the search should be for a competent, morally respectable and responsible gentleman or woman from the South to lead the country in 2023.
When contacted, Tinubu media aide, Mr Tunde Rahman declined to comment.
However, a frontline supporter of Tinubu, Hon. Kunle Okunola dismissed the allegations levelled against the APC National Leader.
Okunola, who is the founder of Tinubu 2023 Non-Negotiable (TNN), a foremost Tinubu Support Group, in a chat with Daily Trust, said Bode George’s allegation was born out of hatred, saying, “We are not taking him seriously.”
He said: “Whatever Bode George is saying, it is not there is an alternative candidate. Asking for people’s certificates or asking for his age is irrelevant at this point.
“Asiwaju’s age is not hidden. He has served as governor of Lagos State for eight years. He was sometimes a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all these are documented.
“To us, it is childish and I can tell you it is actually to raise his ego by telling us and comparing what he says and what he is doing with Asiwaju.
“In his polling unit, Asiwaju always beats him at every election. So, when we are talking of political weight, who can compete against Asiwaju? Look at the recently conducted local government election; apart from the voter’s apathy which is of concern to us, it was not that PDP won any local government out of the 57 councils.”
President backs devolution of powers – VON DG
Also speaking, a chieftain of the APC and Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, said President Buhari was in support of the devolution of powers.
The VON boss recalled that in his last Democracy Day speech, the president pledged to play a critical role in the constitutional amendment exercise and acknowledged notions of marginalisation among various segments of our population.
“Chief Bode George should help to advise our governors to implement the financial autonomy of LGA, State Legislature and Judiciary; otherwise as one of the key ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s advisers, why didn’t they devolve powers?
“Besides, he should not sell Jonathan’s confab as medicine to all ailments as it recommended more than 50 states and not six regions. I am happy he (Mr President) has nailed doubting Thomases with his uncommon pledge to play a critical role in the devolution of powers via the constitutional amendment exercise as he did eloquently in the 8th National Assembly.
“Mr President has denounced the negative narrative that he is averse to restructuring or true federalism. He capped it up by saying that Nigerians will be happy with the outcome.”
Okechukwu recalled that Section 121(3) of the Constitution, an amendment that granted financial autonomy to state legislatures and judiciary is the child of Mr President.
This, according to Okechukwu, showed that there was near national consensus for dual-restructuring.
By: Abiodun Alade, Abdullateef Aliyu, Yvonne Ugwuezuoha (Lagos), Ismail Mudashir & Muideen Olaniyi (Abuja)
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