Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has revealed that President Bola Tinubu prevented him from leaving Nigeria.
In an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, George said Tinubu sent his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to appeal to him after he threatened to flee the country if Tinubu won the presidential election.
George had initially stated, “I will move away from Nigeria. I’ll leave because he will be your representative in the international plane. 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.”
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However, Gbajabiamila’s visit changed his mind.
“Tinubu sent his chief of staff to say: ‘my boss said I should tell you, please be calm’. They knew they had wronged me. They said they were sorry,” he said.
Attributing the PDP crisis to the 2023 presidential election buildup, George sent an appeal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Urging both politicians to resolve their differences, George stated, “The last convention was when everything started. Instead of arresting it, they were exacerbating it.”
George criticized Iyorchia Ayu, former party chair, for reneging on his promise to step down if a northern presidential candidate emerged.
“I want to appeal to the leaders of the various groups in the party that it is time to shelve your personal ambitions and let us rebuild the party. There is no organisation in the world without crisis but the ability to rebuild the crisis is needed,” he further appealed.
