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Tag: Bode George

  • BREAKING! Bode George Lagos PDP faction pull out of election, collapses structure For Gbadebo Rhodes

    BREAKING! Bode George Lagos PDP faction pull out of election, collapses structure For Gbadebo Rhodes

    A faction of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos has pulled out of election, collapsed its structure for Labour party candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

    The faction, headed by Chief Bode George, a prominent chieftain of the party made the move today, 48 hours to the election.

    There have been calls from different quarters to the PDP party to support Labour party in order to defeat the ruling party’s candidate, Babajide Sanwoolu.

    The party’s candidate, Olajide Adediran ‘Jandor’ recently made it known that there will never be such alliance between him and the labour party candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

    Details later…

  • INEC debunks claim of appointing ex-Lagos commissioner as ICT head

    INEC debunks claim of appointing ex-Lagos commissioner as ICT head

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refuted the claim that it appointed a former Commissioner in Lagos State, Femi Odubiyi, as head of the Information and Communications Technology department.

    This is coming following the claim of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, that the former commissioner was made INEC’s ICT head.

    In a statement on Sunday, the former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP said the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, must remove Odubiyi as the Commission’s ICT head because of his closeness to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    To set the record straight, the name “Femi Odubiyi“ does not even exist within our ICT Department at the INEC headquarters in Abuja or any state office of the Commission

    He said the first thing Yakubu must do was to explain to Nigerians how the former Commissioner for Science and Technology in Lagos State allegedly found his way into INEC as head of ICT, “a critical department before, during and after elections.”

    Dismissing the claim in a statement late Tuesday, INEC through its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the widely publicised report (not The PUNCH) attributed to Bode George was a false claim. “Nothing can be farther from the truth,” Okoye said.

    “To set the record straight, the name “Femi Odubiyi“ does not even exist within our ICT Department at the INEC headquarters in Abuja or any state office of the Commission.”

    INEC said its ICT staff were career officers of the Commission, adding “none has held any political appointment in any state of the Federation.”

    “The public is urged to disregard the story. The promoter should have been circumspect so as not to be seen as a purveyor of fake news.”

    Watch Bode George’s claim below

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1635731590755090441

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1635731590755090441

  • “No going back on my plan to leave Nigeria after Tinubu’s victory” -PDP chieftain, Bode George

    “No going back on my plan to leave Nigeria after Tinubu’s victory” -PDP chieftain, Bode George

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Bode George, has maintained that his departure from the country would not change following the emergence of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as president-elect.

    He described February 25th, 2023 elections as shambolic, shameless and full of inadequacies and futility.

    In his words: “I am so heartbroken because I thought we were going to lift Nigeria to the level of a civilised world, that from every polling station, the results would be transmitted electronically into the server and it was done during Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections.

    “We were all clapping, happy, and ready to elevate this nation from the dull room of filth to the level of a civilised world. And as a professor, I am so disappointed, because if the National Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, knew that there were hitches in the system, the best he could have done morally was to say ‘stop’ to all these operations.

    I do not see the Labour Party as a party per say. It is a movement

    “He continued with the shenanigans, rubbish and nonsense and started collating, and went back to the old system where they were manipulating the results.”

    On whether the lack of support from the G-5 and Integrity Group affected PDP in the February 25th, 2023 elections, he said: “Of course, where did Peter Obi come from? Most of the people who got angry went away from the PDP; a divided house is a defeated house. You said the South-West doesn’t matter.

    “If they added Obi’s votes to PDP’s, Tinubu would have been washed away. Divided we fall, and you can see it even with the manipulation that they did. The Labour Party won them because people are tired of the All Progressives Congress. In Lagos now they are trying now to espouse the theory of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour being an Igbo man.

    “You see the lie, who told them Rhodes-Vivour is an Igbo man? Saturday is the election and it will be based on justice, fairness, and equity. I pray that Yakubu and his team use the electronic transmission of results otherwise he will send this country to the bottom of the sea.

    "No going back on my plan to leave Nigeria after Tinubu’s victory" -PDP chieftain, Bode George
    Bode George

    “If Obi and all those G-5 governors had come together to resolve this mismanagement by managers of the party when they put the cap of arrogance on their heads, I told them a divided house is a defeated house but that will be a story for another day.

    “The arrogance, evil rant, and lacklustre attitude exhibited by them to forget about the tenets established by the founding fathers didn’t help the party and I said to them ‘If you don’t change this, I will not vote for him (Atiku).”

    According to the PDP chieftain, he does not see the Labour Party as a party per say. It is a movement. People got tired of the lacklustre attitude of these two political parties.

    “The younger generation including my children told me to my face that daddy I am voting for this new party. We are tired of your PDP and APC.

    “That was what happened in Lagos. We made it clear that if you don’t make a southern person the presidential candidate of our party we are not going to work with you. It is a misery,” George added.

  • Lagos Decides: Bode George, Jandor unite ahead of polls

    Lagos Decides: Bode George, Jandor unite ahead of polls

    Chief Olabode George, a former PDP Deputy National Chairman and the party’s Lagos Governorship Candidate, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor)  on Monday united ahead of the general elections.

    There has been a cold war between George, the PDP leader in the state and Adediran over some unresolved issues between the duo shortly after the PDP primary.

    In a statement by Mr Gbenga Ogunleye, the Head, Media and Communications, JANDOR4GOVERNOR Campaign Organisation, George and the candidate met on Monday to resolve differences ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections.

    Ogunleye said, “The cold war between the National Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George and the governorship candidate of the party, Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (JANDOR) has been finally put to an end in a reconciliation and unity meeting held today.”

    He quoted George as saying that there was no disagreement of any sort in the party again.

    According to him, George  described himself as an irredentist member of the party.

    He quoted George as saying that “personal differences would not affect his insistent on the rescue mission of the state from the grip of the marauders.

    “The mis-governance and mismanagement of the resources of Lagos by the ruling APC over the years will be over in a matter of days as Lagosians will vote en-mass for Jandor.”

    Ogunleye said that George enjoined all party members to unite and work hard to ensure the party wins in their respective local government areas.

    Also, Adediran was quoted as expressing gratitude to George for his magnanimity and fatherly oversight.

    He commended the elder statesman for his untiring efforts over the years to deliver Lagos state from the clueless and inept successive governors.

    Adediran said that with the resolve of the leadership to close ranks, the coast was now clear and the chances of the PDP in the general elections was much brighter.

    He assured residents that the pains and hardship being experience would be forgotten immediately the PDP forms the government at the state and the federal level.

  • 2023 Elections: I will not vote for Atiku – Bode George

    2023 Elections: I will not vote for Atiku – Bode George

     

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP)  chief Bode George, has revealed that he will vote for his party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the forthcoming general elections in the country.

    He added that he could have a change of mind if the party addresses the issue of inclusivity ravaging it.

    George disclosed this on Tuesday morning while featuring on the Arise Television Morning Show programme.

    Recall that he had supported the call for Iyorchia Ayu to step down from his position as the party’s National Chairman, saying the lingering crisis bedevilling the party might cause its defeat in the 2023 presidential election.

    “Until this party returns to the founding fathers’ principles of unity, with equity, fairness and justice being the pedestal for any political decision taken in this party, and ensuring broad-mindedness to accommodate the concerns of all zones in this country, PDP becomes vulnerable to disaster in the 2023 elections,” he had said.

    While re-stating his earlier stance, the PDP chieftain said he would not vote for Atiku in the forthcoming election unless the issue of inclusivity in the party is addressed.

    “I will not vote for the presidential candidate of our party. Until the issue of inclusivity is addressed. Let them sit down, and think over it. It is not negotiable; every Nigerian is important for this election.”

  • PDP crisis takes different dimension in Lagos as Pearse seeks Bode George’s expulsion

    PDP crisis takes different dimension in Lagos as Pearse seeks Bode George’s expulsion

    Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, a member of the PDP Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC) has called for the expulsion of former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, for alleged anti-party activities.

    Pearse, also the Lagos State Coordinator of Support Groups for Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign, made this call at a news conference on Wednesday at the PDP secretariat in Lagos.

    Recall that five PDP governors and some aggrieved party stalwarts including George, on Sunday, in Lagos announced the formation of Integrity Group, a new group within the PDP.

    At a meeting hosted by George, the aggrieved governors led by Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, reiterated their stance that the party’s National Chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, should resign to create a balance since the party’s Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is also from the North.

    The aggrieved governors included Samuel Ortom of Benue, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.

    Pearse said that the expulsion of George from the party would give PDP a fair chance of victory in Lagos State in the 2023 general elections.

    “The continuous presence of George in the party is a threat to the success of the party in Lagos State in the forthcoming general elections.

    “Everywhere during the campaign, all our members including the ward chairmen are saying that George must leave the party for it to survive and win the election.

    “So, this is the voice of the people and these ward chairmen are the vehicle to the voices of our members who are not too close to the party leaders.

    “We are, therefore, appealing to the party leadership to send a notice of expulsion of membership to Chief Olabode George.

    “We have made a similar request to the ward chairman in Lagos Island where George registered his membership,” Pearse, also the Lagos State Co-ordinator of the Alliance for Atiku Aspiration, said.

    Pearse said he would officially write the PDP national chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) and the party leaders on the issue.

    He added that it might send a wrong impression to members if the party did not take any action on the issue.

    “If the leadership of the party decides to still keep him (George) in the party, he will continue to damage the party,” he noted.

    The PDP chieftain said that the chances of the party winning the 2023 general elections was bright if electorate troop out en mass to vote for the party.

    Reacting, George, described Pearse “as someone who did not understand what we are fighting for.”

    George said that Pearse has “no locus standi” to accuse him of anti-party activities.

    “He has no idea of what we are fighting for. He said I am doing anti-party in PDP, am I not in his group, what has he done in this party,” he stated.

  • PDP: Bode George warns party over move to destroy zoning

    PDP: Bode George warns party over move to destroy zoning

    The former National Vice Chairman (South West) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief  OluBode George, has issued out warning to his party  against accepting the congress carried out by its former Lagos State chairman, Deji Doherty, saying the court ruling against him may cost the party the elections.

    George made this announcement in a press conference at his Ikoyi office on Monday, George said Lagos State High Court had last year ruled against Doherty and reinstated former caretaker chairman of the part in the state, Adegbola Dominic, as the legitimate chairman. He said if the party accepts the executive produced at the congress carried out by Doherty, it risks losing the election.

    He also urged the PDP to move its national convention which is scheduled to take place on May 28 and 29 from Abuja to Lagos due to the fact that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would also hold theirs at the same venue on 30 and 31.

    “It is important to point out that Deji Doherty was removed by a court of competent jurisdiction, therefore any congress he conducts is null and void under the law. It will be better to avoid any of the candidates that emerged from the congress he conducted so that in future, no one will tell you that the election is illegal.

    “I want to use this medium to speak on the venue for the convention. APC wants to hold their national convention on May 30 and 31 and we are holding ours on May 28 and 29 in Abuja. How is that possible? People would arrive for the PDP convention two or three days before the day and APC delegates would also arrive a few days before theirs. This could create confusion which would be disastrous for us.

    “Because we want to impact positively in the minds of Nigerians that we are better managers without encumbrances, to move our convention from Abuja to Lagos. Which tribe in Nigeria does not reside in Lagos? If you want to fly or come by water or road, you would get here. There are many hotels, from one star to five stars. Holding it in Lagos would completely cut off any plans by the APC to want to scuttle our convention.

    “On the issue of zoning, a memo was done and the first paragraph of that communique identified that zoning and rotation remain absolutely sacrosanct in PDP. It remained the cultural and political spinal cord of our party. In other words, people should not think that we have forgotten zoning. It remains very important in our party.

    “It now went further to state that the former managers of our party, when they should have announced zoning to decide whether the presidential candidate should go to either the north or the south. But because they didn’t do that, everybody came out. Now that we are a few weeks to the convention, would it be right for the party to now say this person can contest or this person cannot contest?

    “People have started campaigning, even members of the same family and you cannot rob Peter to pay Paul. How would you tell those who have been spending money and time not to contest because you have zoned it? How would they feel? A divided party would be a defeated party.

    “On this basis, I appeal to everyone to cool their tempers and let us go to the game. I know that this is something that has never happened in our party. On the day of the convention, all the six geo-political zones will present presidential aspirants and you can see that we need God’s intervention. We need a man who will put Nigeria before himself and would without fear or favour and irrespective of your religion. I believe so much in prayers so we should forget what has happened. It is a new experience. The ability of our party to rise above that would be a measure of conviction to the electorate that we are better managers,” he said

  • I’ve no quarrel with Tinubu, but he’s a bundle of lies – Bode George

    I’ve no quarrel with Tinubu, but he’s a bundle of lies – Bode George

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bode George, has tagged the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as a “bundle of lies.”

    George said he has nothing against the former governor of Lagos only that everything about him are not true.

    Speaking with Channels Television last night, George said: “I absolutely have no qualms, no quarrel with Tinubu, but all I know is that everything he has said he was or his name is this or his school is that it’s a bundle of lies.

    “I’m a bonafide Lagosian, we knew what Lagos was like, and Lagos remains the commercial nerve centre, not only in Nigeria but in the whole of West Africa. What has this fellow done to us?”

    The PDP chieftain charged Tinubu to open up on the ownership of Alpa Beta company.

    He said the APC presidential candidate should tell Nigerians how much the company has allegedly stolen from the Lagos State Government.

    “I have asked a very simple question and none of them has been able to answer it: who owns the Alpha Beta company? How much has the Alpha Beta company stolen from the coffers of our treasury in Lagos state?

    “What has he done to alleviate the pains of the people of the state?” he asked.

  • Keep your word and resign – Bode George tells PDP chair, Ayu

    Keep your word and resign – Bode George tells PDP chair, Ayu

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Chief Bode George has urged the party’s National Chairman Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to honour his promise and resign.

    George said Ayu had earlier vowed to resign if the party’s presidential candidate emerged from the North.

    He also called on all party members to continue to show interest in the party’s affairs.

    Speaking at a press conference held at his residence in Ikoyi, Lagos, George said, “Ayu once said if the presidential candidate should emerge from the North, he’ll resign. I want to take on him for his word. Why are you now trying to reverse the role? Your word must be your bond.

    “However, I appeal to all sides to sheathe their swords.

    “It’s absolutely necessary and makes a lot of sense for the candidate who wants to wear the big crown, Atiku Abubakar, to start the networking of people and multiple congregation of efforts that’ll make the party succeed.

    “I urge Ezenwo Wike to maintain an abiding interest and fidelity to the PDP, which is the best in terms of national outlook, format and reputation.”

  • 2023: What I will do if Tinubu becomes President – Bode George

    2023: What I will do if Tinubu becomes President – Bode George

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bode George has re-emphasized that he will go on exile if the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu becomes President of Nigeria in 2023.

    Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on Saturday March 19, George claimed that Tinubu would ensure that only his family members occupied sensitive positions if he becomes president, adding that the ex-governor has done nothing to deserve the seat.

    He said; “I am happy the president has signed the new electoral bill. If by whatever chance he (referring to Tinubu) gets to the villa, I won’t be part of this country.

    “And I am not joking. I can go to Ghana, live in Ghana and be watching with binoculars from afar. You will see what will happen.

    “This is Alpha Beta in Lagos. He will create some Alpha Beta somewhere to carry your money. His wife will now be senate president. His son will be governor of Lagos. His daughter will be Iyaloja of Nigeria.

    “What has he done to prove that he deserves to be honoured by anybody in this country?

    “Nothing personal. In fact, my niece called me. She said ‘some of their people are spinning that he gives me money. That Bola gives me money’.

    “Let him bring the money. I will tell him to follow me to Lagos Island — people who are hungry are there. I grew up there — in Lagos Island.”