Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George, has called on President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, to restructure the unproductive governing system of the country.
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According to Guardian, George disclosed this on Saturday, adding that he Tinubu should revisit the reports of the 2014 National Conference along with other conferences reports and use of it with a view to restructure the country’s skewed and unproductive governing system.
George equally disclosed at an event last Thursday that plans were place to move the Lagos State chapter of the party forward inspite of the crisis that bedevling it, leading to its defeat in the last general election.
The former military administrator of Ondo State said President Tinubu should quickly introduce policies to address, ameliorate and eradicate the economic hardships that Nigerians were going through.
He warned that the current economic situation of an average Nigerian is worrisome and could lead to spontaneous reactions if the President refuses to take proactive measures.
“Tinubu has won at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) and at the Supreme Court, which is final, it is now left to the former governor of Lagos State to face the business of how to re-fix the economy and also address the issue of insecurity,” he said.
George said the fuel subsidy removal and its economic impacts on Nigerians need to be resolved urgently, stating that the palliatives measures and approach that the Federal Government had introduced would not mitigate the sufferings of the masses.
He expressed worries over the N5 billion released to the state governors what it could solve considering the population size of each of the states.
He explained that the government must put all measures in place to ensure that the oil refineries function “otherwise I do not see the ongoing palliatives exercise resolving or ameliorating any pains brought about as a result of the subsidy removal.”
George said another far reaching decision President Tinubu could take to rescue Nigeria is to restructure the governance system.
“Without this, let Mr. President turn Nigeria to El-Dorado now whether in four or eight years, another government or those who are benefiting from the present skewed system that would come after him would reverse and rubbish what he might have put in place.
“The only legacy left for Mr. President to achieve and put in place is restructuring of Nigeria,” he noted.
George, however, dispelled the notion that the country may eventually turn to a one party state as a result of the persistent challenges rocking the PDP, which is the major opposition party.
He admitted that opposition parties in the country were at their lowest ebbs, saying “the PDP still has a very solid root and would spring back with time.”
“My advice is that the party should call a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting now to do a critical post-mortem of the last general election with the aim to correct our mistakes.
“I also urge those encouraging former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was the presidential candidate of PDP in 2019, 2023 to get set for 2027 to have a rethink. This is not ideal. The Turaki himself should place the interest of Nigeria and that of PDP above his personal ambition,” he added.
George argued that there was nothing the ruling party and or President Tinubu could do to stop the force of opposition or turn Nigeria into one party state, adding “That is not possible and cannot be achieved. There is more disunity within APC even than we have in PDP. It is power that is shielding this from public knowledge.”
George also asked Tinubu to as a matter of necessity declare his assets publicly.
He said, “this will enable Tinubu the moral ground and courage to fight corruption in the system.”
Speaking during the General Assembly meeting of the Lagos State chapter of the PDP, which took place at his Ikoyi office last Thursday, George reaffirmed that members and loyalists in the state that despite the outcome of the general election in the country, the party remained an indivisible entity.
PDP had been embroiled after its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, named former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
Consequently, former Rivers State governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, led the G-5 governors and other party chieftains to demand the resignation of the former party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to achieve a “regional balance” since Ayu and the PDP presidential candidate were both from the North.
Due to the crisis, candidates of the PDP were defeated at the polls as some of its chieftains gave open support to the opposition Labour Party.
George urged members to be steadfast and believe that despite what happened during the last general election, the party would regain its lost glory and would not be allowed to go into extinction.
“I urge all of you who have been faithful to remain steadfast; we would ensure that the party regains its lost glory,” he said.
The PDP chieftain also called on the national leadership of the party to ensure that it conducts “a thorough post-mortem to resolve all issues that affected the party” in the elections.
He said the party leadership must ensure that all members whose actions negatively affected the party are held accountable, particularly in the areas of accountability and financial recklessness.
