Olabode George, former National Deputy Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has predicted that Nigeria could be thrown into a state of confusion as Nigerians await the verdict of the presidential election tribunal if any of the petitioners win the case.
The elder statesman gave the warning while speaking on Tuesday at the fifth annual lecture organised by Freedom Online held in Lagos with theme: “2023-2027: Nigerians, Elected Leaders and Expectations”.
George who expressed his worries over what could possibly happen if the verdict of the tribunal turns against President Bola Tinubu, and in favour of either the presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, or Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he sees confusion in the country.
“We are in a situation where if the court favours A, there would be trouble and if the court favours B, there would also be trouble. The way most of our elected leaders take life, it is as if there would be no tomorrow,” he said.
“May God forgive our transgressions and direct the minds of our political leaders in ensuring a good life to all our people in Nigeria.
“As we match towards 2027, I remain optimistic that the new set of leaders produced by the general elections of 2023 will seek to take the country to the next level.
“I foresee a future in which our institutions will be stronger and this includes the judiciary, the anti-corruption watchdogs, the media, the opposition and all the groups whose duty is to keep our leaders in check,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Managing Director of Freedom Online, Gabriel Akinadewo, said the purpose of the lecture was to brainstorm on what Nigerians want between now and 2027 when another presidential election will be conducted.
“This democratic journey started in 1999 and 24 years later, can we rightly say Nigerians are satisfied with the state of affairs today?
“In essence, what should elected leaders do to earn the trust of Nigerians? When do we draw a line between politics and governance?
“Expectations of Nigerians between now and 2027 are very clear and simple. We cannot be doing same thing over and over again and expect a different result.
“If centralisation of governance is a product of the military because of its chain of command, the military has been out of governance since 1999. So, what is stopping the civilian authority from decentralising governance?” Akinadewo asked.
