Bode George Warns Tinubu Against Manipulating the Emergence of the Next Ooni of Ife

 

The longterm feud between former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, seems far from ending as Bode George has warned Tinubu about any undue interference with the selection of the next Ooni of Ife following the demise of the current Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade.

 

Bode George suspects Tinubu may influence the ruling houses in Ife, Osun State who are traditionally mandated to participate in the selection of a new monarch.

According to The Punch, Bode George, who is the Atona Oodua of Yoruba land, told correspondents during an interview, on Monday, 10th of August  that Tinubu should not use his relationship with the Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, to manipulate the process.

 

He advised Tinubu to draw lessons from the National Assembly crisis engineered by him as a result of his unprecedented interference in the proceedings of estabalished institutions.

He said, “He will be making attempts to manipulate the process. They will do politics with it but it will blow up. They should allow the kingmakers to do their work. If he manipulates the process, he will create a huge problem in Yoruba land.

“Let him allow the kingmakers do their job. He should not set Yoruba land on fire. Aregbesola should, instead, focus on paying salaries.”

George said the politics of Ife was not like that of Lagos and Tinubu should not set a bad precedence in Yoruba land, while also reiterating his interest to see the emergence of a fair monarch.

 
“He (Tinubu) tried it at the National Assembly but came back with a slap. He should, therefore, not go out of his way to bring in an APC-inclined man as the next Ooni. We want an Ooni that will be fair and not connected with all these politicians.

“We need an experienced person. We want the person that the kingmakers will approve of. As the Atona Oodua, I know how these things are done.”