Bode George
A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George has spoken about his interest to contest in the 2023 presidential election against Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu is the national leader of the All Progressives Congress.
George said this during a telephone interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday.
The PDP chieftain said Nigeria’s future looked bleak as the APC had failed to deliver on its promises.
“I was approached by many people to contest especially now that Bola Tinubu is said to be planning to contest. I have not said yes or no since 2023 is still far. But yes, I will like to contest against Bola Tinubu in 2023,” he added.
The retired naval officer, however, lamented that the PDP had failed to play its role as the main opposition party since 2015.
He, therefore, stated that he was not sure if he would be contesting on the platform of the PDP, that is, if or when he would be contesting.
“The PDP has not lived up to its potential. The APC is also not serious. The APC is (made up of) a bunch of opportunists. Everything is just going bad in the country,” George said.
When asked what would be his primary concern as President, George said he would love to unite the country and ensure economic prosperity for the people.
The former military administrator of Ondo State said the high level of poverty as well as the religious and tribal divisions had brought the nation to its knees, and so his campaign would centre on unity and prosperity.
George added, “The thrust of my campaign will be to unite the country, which is now deeply divided along ethnic and religious lines and that is counter-productive.
“Nigeria had set targets for itself that in 2020, we would be in the top 20 economies in the world but the Vision 20:2020 has since been abandoned.”
The PDP chieftain said the race for the Presidency in 2023 should not be about the wealthiest candidate but those who sincerely had good plans for the nation.
There have been rumours about Tinubu’s plan to contest the Presidency in 2023.