Makinde, Bala Mohammed Harassment Is a Deliberate Attack on Democracy — Bode George

Olabode George, a former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has denounced what he called the harassment of Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, and Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State.

George claimed in a statement that intimidating state officials for having divergent opinions is a planned attack.

The elder statesman emphasized that democracy without a strong opposition is despotism in disguise while considering Nigeria’s democratic path and recent political and economic developments.

George bemoaned the “growing intolerance of dissenting political voices.”

“We stand at a critical junction in our nation’s journey,” the statement said. There is a lot of anxiety in the air, not because there isn’t much potential, but rather because the democratic principles that unite us are being steadily undermined. The startling trend of animosity toward dissident voices must be addressed first.

“The intimidation of Governors Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde of the states of Bauchi and Oyo is a deliberate attack on our country’s federalist system, not just a political altercation. A perilous shift toward a one-party state is indicated when state executives are intimidated for having differing opinions. A diversity of viewpoints, not the quiet of the graveyard, is what makes democracy flourish.

“We observe a startling gap in the halls of power as our people struggle with unheard-of adversity. The enormous contributions made to the First Lady Remi Tinubu’s private library show a deep disregard for the state of the economy. Such sums would have been better used to alleviate the bitter poverty that has become the everyday companion of the average Nigerian in a country where millions go to bed hungry.

“Service and sacrifice, not the preservation of legacies while the people suffer, must be the essence of leadership. We also invite the INEC Chairman. You bear full responsibility for the legitimacy of our democracy. You have to be fair and just. The days of “miracle results” and technical errors must come to an end. Nigeria should have free, fair, and transparent elections where the winner is chosen by the ballot rather by the “arrangement.”