You Can’t Pardon Bode George, Tinubu Tells Jonathan

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State has described as uncalled plans by the President Goodluck Jonathan led-Federal Government to pardon ex-convict and former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George.

Tinubu said plans were ongoing by the powers that be in Abuja to pardon the ex-convict if he could deliver the votes in Lagos State to the PDP.

He spoke at a rally organised by the communities of Arewa, Ndigbo and South-South communities at the International Trade Fair Ground to endorse Governor Babatunde Fashola for the 9 April governorship election in the state.

Tinubu stated that such plans to pardon an ex-convict was out of place and called for a rethink, saying that the Jonathan-led government wanted to use George to negotiate the election in Lagos State.

The former government stated emphatically that it was not possible for the PDP to win the election in Lagos even with the presence of George, as the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN would not allow it to happen.

He added that the ACN would not be intimidated by the plans of the Jonathan-led government and that the party would fight to ensure that the election was not rigged by the PDP.

“The ruling party celebrated prisoner. They celebrated fraudster. They met in Abuja yesterday and discussed to pardon the fraudster if he can alter the elections in Lagos State. It is not possible. We would not give in to intimidation. We will fight to protect our votes and stand by it,” he said.

According to Tinubu, the development of Nigeria was not a game of chance and that it could only happen by the application of vision and the coming together of the best brains in the nation.

Tinubu called on Lagosians to vote massively for the ACN and wait at the election venue until the votes were counted so as to prevent any form of rigging by the opposition parties.

Addressing the crowd, Fashola assured thousands of indigenes from the South-South, South East and the Northern Nigeria that they would continue to remain relevant in his government in the next political dispensation.

He stated that his administration had shown in the last four years that “we are a government for everybody, not a government for the Yorubas alone”.

Fashola promised that if he was re-elected, he would ensure that he appoints into his cabinet the best brains in the country, not minding the tribe or religious affiliation.

The governor also said that his administration was putting finishing touches to deliver 2,000 housing units which would be sold out to Lagosians at an affordable price through mortgage.

“The housing estate is for the rich and the poor, all you need to do is to pay 30 percent and collect the key, and then you can pay the balance over 10 to 15 years,” he added.

Chief Paul Ikonne, governorship candidate of the ACN, Abia State, who spoke at the trally urged the entire residents in Lagos State to support ACN and ensure that it emerged victorious at the coming polls.

He therefore told the party’s supporters in the state “to sweep away the government of kidnappers. We must sweep away the government of bad roads. We must sweep away the government of fraudsters. We sustain the broom revolution. We can only do that by voting and defending our votes.”

Earlier, Chairman of the 15-Man-Igbo Mega Campaign Rally, Dr. Christian Nwachukwu said the rally was to show the communities’ total support to Fashola for his love for non indigenes and minority groups in the state.

He stated that Fashola’s inclusion of one of their own sons, Ben Akabueze, in his cabinet as well as involvement of non indigenes in other government parastatals showed a detribalised government concerned about the progress of Nigerians as a whole.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga