Tinubu’s A Local Champion Whose Political Career Is Almost Over, Says Bode George

Bola Tinubu-Bode GeorgeA chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has told the national leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to take a back seat as his political career is now over.

George stated this in reaction to the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President ahead of Senator Ahmed Lawan, who was the preferred candidate of the APC leader.

Specifically, George said Tinubu, who is a former Lagos governor, to start preparing to retire from politics as his political influence has been greatly diminished with the outcome of the National Assembly elections.

The PDP leader said Nigerians had become fed up with Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande’s style of politics, which he alleged involved imposition of candidates.

He said having nominated the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; and the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the former governor should have “taken things easy” but “Tinubu continued to push his luck too far”.

According to him, “You know I predicted weeks ago that the APC is just a congregation of strange bedfellows. The most beautiful thing about what has happened is that Bola Tinubu’s political influence in Nigeria is coming to a sunset and it is about five minutes to midnight for him.

“If he cannot see this now, then it will be foolish of him. He brought in the APC national chairman and the vice-president and he thinks Nigeria belongs to him. So, he thought what he did in Lagos was what he could replicate at the national level and they have shown him that he cannot continue to be the lord of the manor.

“So, if he is wise, he will slow down. President Muhammadu Buhari, as an army general, has fought more battles than him and has an understanding of things”.

George also described the re-election of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President as a victory for the PDP.

He said this was in line with his prediction that the PDP would bounce back just as he praised the PDP senators for carrying out a successful ‘political manoeuvre’.

George said, “The PDP was never dead. We were only given a bloodied nose, not a technical knockout. So, this is an opportunity to start regrouping and getting ready for 2019. I want to salute the dexterity and perfect political manoeuvres for which the PDP is well known.

“People like Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande in Osun have always been local champions. Now, they have come to the national level of politics and they are now learning the tricks that all that glitters is not gold.

“I congratulate Saraki and Ekweremadu. They understand what Nigeria is all about”.

The former National Deputy Chairman of PDP also took a swipe at the spokesperson for APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for rejecting the outcome of the elections.

He said the APC had no powers to sanction Saraki.

“The APC would discipline Saraki? Is Saraki a child? They probably think they are playing local politics like the one they play in Lagos State. I welcome them to the real world”, he said.