Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has explained President Bola Tinubu’s perceived underperformance during his first year in office. George, a former military Governor of Ondo State, attributed Tinubu’s initial year to the need to study and rectify the failures of the preceding Muhammadu Buhari administration.
In a recent interview with Arise Television, George, who has historically been an adversary of Tinubu, urged Nigerians to grant the President an additional year to fulfill his electoral promises and improve the nation’s circumstances.
“He (Tinubu) had never served at that level (presidency). Well… you will say he was part of the party (APC) that formed the government (of Muhammadu Buhari), but it’s a hell of a different thing taking over and now leading the team,” George remarked.
“To be fair to my conscience, he has had that one-year holiday of trying to study the failures of the past administration. I have given him that one year of grace because now he has seen it and lived there,” he continued.
George stressed that Tinubu’s lack of presidential experience justifies a grace period, drawing a parallel to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s need for adjustment time during his first year in office. “I expect his ministers to have come back in one year with those areas of lapses. Even when Baba (Olusegun Obasanjo) became president in 1999, he was still trying to figure out what happened there or vice versa in his first year. Let’s give him more time,” he added.
George has previously called on President Tinubu to restructure his economic team and provide Nigerians with an accurate assessment of the nation’s status. In his May 23, 2024, address titled “My Thoughts on The State of Our Country in the Last 25 Years: A Time to Chart A New Direction” delivered in Lagos, George highlighted Nigeria’s unmet potential since the return of democracy in 1999.
He pointed out that despite Nigeria being frequently referred to as the Giant of Africa, the country has not fulfilled this role. George emphasized that Nigeria’s progress and rightful place in the international community could only be achieved through the collective efforts of both leaders and citizens.
In conclusion, George noted that a fair evaluation of the current administration’s performance could only be made after President Tinubu has spent more time in office.
