Nigeria: Bode George's Abuja House Funded By Rivers Money, Wike's Aide Insists

Lere Olayinka, Senior Particular Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that the Abuja property owned by former Peoples Democratic Get together PDP Deputy Nationwide Chairman, Bode George, was acquired with funds traced to Rivers State.

Olayinka, in a press release on Thursday, stated the minister stood by his earlier declare on the matter, stressing that the problem was by no means about who offered the property or the agent concerned, however the supply of the cash used to amass it.

“Wike was clear. He stated Bode George’s Abuja home was acquired with funds from Rivers State, and he stands by this. Bode George stated he purchased the property from a non-public proprietor by means of an agent. That’s not the problem. Wike’s assertion was by no means about who the property was bought from or by means of. Slightly, what he stated was that the cash with which the property was acquired got here from Rivers State, and that is the query Bode George should reply,” Olayinka stated.

The presidential aide’s assertion was a response to current media appearances by the previous navy governor whom he accused of missing the ethical standing to lecture Nigerians on corruption.

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Olayinka advised Chief George to borrow some maturity from these he served with as Army Governor of the outdated Ondo State 38 years in the past, urging him to relaxation quite than proceed what he referred to as a humiliation to himself and the Yoruba race.

“For somebody who was Army Governor of the outdated Ondo State in 1988 (38 years in the past), some degree of decorum and maturity is anticipated. However it’s changing into a humiliation the way in which a person like Chief Bode George, who must be performing like an elder statesman, is leaping from one tv station to the opposite to malign people who find themselves younger sufficient to be his kids,” he stated.

He additionally challenged Bode George to account for the PDP’s poor political fortunes in Lagos State beneath his management, noting that the social gathering had did not win a single polling unit within the state since 1999.

“Since 1999, he has not gained his polling unit for the PDP. Not like Lagos State, we have now had PDP governors in Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo and Osun States. Methinks quite than doing ‘cho cho cho’ on a regular basis, Bode George wants to inform Nigerians why PDP has remained on the sideline within the politics of Lagos State since 1999,” Olayinka stated.

Citing Yoruba custom, Olayinka argued that respect for elders was not automated however conditional on the elder avoiding self-disrespect, and accused Bode George of failing to honour a string of public vows to go away Nigeria ought to President Bola Tinubu ascend to energy.

“In Yorubaland, it’s a strict cultural and conventional rule to respect elders. Nevertheless, this respect shouldn’t be automated, it’s conditional and the key situation is that an elder should keep away from disrespecting himself,” he stated.

He listed a number of events between 2015 and 2022 on which Bode George pledged to resign his Nigerian citizenship or relocate overseas if Tinubu turned president, together with a March 2022 press briefing the place he was quoted as saying he would “go to Ghana and be watching with binoculars from afar.”

Olayinka stated; “In 2015, forward of the presidential election, Bode George promised to go on exile if APC emerged victorious within the presidential election.

“In February 2020, he stated he’ll disown Nigeria to take the citizenship of Togo or some other nation if Tinubu is elected president.

“On Might 7, 2021, on Come up Information, Bode George echoed his stand that he’ll stop to be a Nigerian ought to Tinubu get the presidency.