Bode George, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to permit Nigerians to express their dissatisfaction with his administration.
Speaking during a live program on Arise News on Thursday night, George emphasized that citizens should be safeguarded and allowed to voice their concerns whenever they feel the government is not meeting their expectations.
He said, “In a democratic dispensation (like Nigeria), the powers must come from the base to up. If they are not feeling the impact of your government, they have the right to exercise their voice but I want to plead with Nigerians, we are at the edge of total collapse now.
“Let them handle this issue with decorum, with commitment, dedication and listening. That’s why I said on both sides I want to appeal to those who want to go on strike (protest). Please don’t go into violence I know you are angry because you are hungry.
“Let them know, let the president himself see if they have been telling him the stories that don’t add up, let him see. Every time you go to the National Assembly, you want to do something in the local government, what has he got to do with the national government for God’s sake?
“Let’s revisit the constitution that was given to us by the military. It looks completely like a military organisation. Power must come from the bottom up not from the top down. We’ve been talking about insecurities, we are talking about lack of food, insecurity and we can do something.”
He added that the Nigerian political landscape is plagued by tribalism and religious bigotry, which are hindering the country’s growth and development.
“There are two devils left behind when the British left Nigeria. The first was this tribalism they implanted. It is a devil. Then the second one is religious bigotry. What do those two issues have to do with managing people? Nobody selected himself that I wanted to be a Yoruba man, an Igbo man, and a Hausa man,” he added.
