Special to USAfrica [Houston] • USAfricaonline.com • @Chido247
In a very direct expression of his position regarding ethnic hostility in the February 23, 2019 presidential and national assembly elections, former naval officer and former Governor of Ondo State, Olabode George, has warned that the “recent use of thugs, hired urchins and low-lives to harass and unleash mayhem on the people of the South East”, allegedly by the agents of Bola Tinubu in Lagos, “is reprehensible, condemnable, sickening and very dangerous.”
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to caution and restrain Tinubu who is the “national leader” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on the harassment of the predominantly south eastern/eastern Nigeria Igbo — especially. “I am appealing to President Buhari to call Bola Tinubu to order lest his reckless penchant of mobilizing thugs against all perceived enemies does not ricochet into the tragedies of 1962 and 1963 which eventually triggered the Nigerian Civil war. We [Lagosians] welcome everyone with vivid embrace and with sincerity of purpose. We are the Nigerian melting pot, encouraging traders and various merchants to bring their goods for sale. We do not discriminate.”
George, directly, hinted that the same former Governor Tinubu is not a Lagos native, arguing: “If we had discriminated against Tinubu himself, he could never have risen to the level of relevance which he has achieved today in our Lagos. We need peace in Lagos. We do not need hired hands sponsored to disrupt business activities of fellow Nigerians.”
He said the dangers are many; stating that “This clearly ill-advised jungle justice on fellow Nigerians whose offense is basically the fact that they voted according to their conscience is capable of provoking a reprisal attack and a greater cataclysm that may graduate into a fury that no one would be able to control. Since yesterday, I have been talking to various stakeholders from the South East to be restrained and calm and not to let the unfortunate incident widen into another violent scenario that may consume the nation itself.”
The Yoruba organization, Afenifere, and the Igbo leadership group, Ohaneze have expressed their concerns, as published here on USAfricaonline.com
Also, the social and economic empowerment activist Charles ‘AreaFada’ Oputa called for restraint and respect for all people by Tinubu because, as he stated in his chat with USAfrica multimedia networks’ founder Chido Nwangwu that Tinubu is not the only gangster in Nigeria.
