SAN FRANCISCO, June 01, (THEWILL) – A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has declared that calls by some politicians on President Mohammed Buhari to resign over his ill-health were wrong.
George, speaking with some journalists in Lagos, on Thursday, described such statements as inflammatory adding that it was inhumane of anyone to pressure the president to step down from office just because he was having some health challenges.
He said though he had always been in different camps with the president, he was always praying for his quick recovery and urgef all Nigerians, irrespective of political allegiance or ethnicity to do the same.
“You see, I don’t support the call by some people that the president should resign because of his health,” he said.
“Even though I have always been on different camps with the president, I do not think it is right for anybody to have evil thoughts towards him.
“He is ill and we can only wish him good health and pray for him; calling him to resign because of this is getting beyond politics. He is a human being and only God knows the appointed time for everyone.
“The holy book says we should always pray for people in authority; I think the president deserves everyone’s prayers, not comments that could even outrage some people and create unnecessary tension.”
George, a former military administrator of Ondo State, declared that as a stateman who had an unwavering belief in the non-negotiability of the unity of Nigeria, he would never support the disintegration of the country.
He revealed that the only form of restructuring that he would support is the one that would make the centre unattractive and empower states to develop faster saying it made no sense to have all the resources at the centre while states came cap in hand all the time for federal allocation.
“People talk of restructuring to mean let everyone go on his way, let the country break and all of that. That to me is not the idea of restructuring.
“The restructuring that was approved at the last national conference, which I think is the right thing, is to make the centre less strong and make the states stronger.
“A restructuring that will empower the states to control resources and give like 30per cent to the centre.
“That is the restructuring we are talking about. The form that will accelerate the development of the states, which in turn will fast track national development,” he said.
He also dismissed rumours that he would soon dump the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he would rather quit politics instead of going to APC.
“I am disappointed at those leaving this party at this time. As for me, I would rather quit than defect.Whoever is saying I plan to defect to APC is lying. I am not a chameleon. I do my things straight. I can never go to APC,” he said.
