 Bola Tinogu has no capacity to run Nigeria, PDP Chieftain Bodej George insists even as he vows to relocate depending on the outcome of the presidential election petition tribunal before leaving the country. Tonight on PLOS Politics, we analyze the prospects and expectations of the president elect even as he marks his 71st birthday a miss call for a re-election. This is PLOS Politics. My name is Nyam Ghul Aghaji. Bodej George, a former deputy national chairman of the People's Democratic Party, PDP has hinted on the possibility of his relocation into any country of his choice following the victory of Bola Tinogu because according to him Tinogu has no capacity to run Nigeria. Bodej George has said he will not attend the inauguration and swearing in ceremony of Bola Tinogu the president elect. As the president elect prepares to take over the mantle of leadership at 71, the president elect affirms that his political pedigree from the 90s active role in party politics being elected senator and later governor of Lagos state and diligent involvement in the structure of leadership at the executive and legislative levels for many years will serve as assets for good and effective governance. The question is, is this enough? We are being joined tonight to discuss this by Opponavo in Quotaria, public affairs analyst. Good evening and welcome to the program, Opponavo. Opponavo, good evening and welcome to the program. Good evening, Opponavo. Okay. We also have Alesta Wilcox, a public affairs analyst as well. Good evening and welcome to the program. Good evening for having me. It's nice to see you, Opponavo, once again. It's been a while. Okay. Thank you, my brother. You didn't come to Pataco. I was there Christmas. I'm coming for Easter. Okay. Let's try and meet now. Okay. No problem. Thank you very much, Opponavo. Yeah, gentlemen, gentlemen. There will be time for celebrations. I will join the two of you. We'll make a trinity. Okay. But right now we're talking about what Bodegas said. Bodegas might be one person, but it seems to be a public cry from so many other people, whether they are significant or not. And it begs the question, is the healing process even taking place right now, because some people feel aggrieved after the election, the presidential election especially, even though Bodegas is talking about capacity and all that, but that's not the issue. The issue is that so many people feel aggrieved, whether it is perceived or real, but the healing process, which Nigeria very, very much needs right now, is there much that is being done in this regard so that people can be on the same page, even if they are still fighting for any other cause, but they should be on the same page knowing that this is our Nigeria and there has to be a start somewhere and a finish somewhere to any fight. Let me begin with you, Alesta. What do you think about the healing process after the elections to make Nigeria not disintegrate because of grievances? Well, thank you very much, but Nigeria will never disintegrate because of elections. We've had elections and for the first time in our national life, we are having a several successive elections after. I mean, it has never happened before, so we should be touched and be grateful that we are Nigerians and that at our own time, Nigeria is witnessing this kind of democratic strife in terms of longevity in having unbroken democracy. So we should give ourselves that heavy part on the back. I salute the country. I salute everybody. Now, this is one of the most keenly contested elections in recent times. Keenly contested because of the euphoria that it brought in and for me it's a very good thing, very, very good that it happened that way, that people are interested. People once showed deep interest in the elections and then so they came out rightly or wrongly and then everybody just expressed opinion. But of course, in any contest, there will only be one winner. And if you see the way the votes are shared, you will say, this is a real contest. And that is why we should congratulate ourselves and say, look, Nigeria has come of age. Talking about the healing process, of course, no losers do not accept defeat. Maybe a problem in the British election that I see that we do not congratulate the winners and hogs. Look at what's happening in America. As of today, Donald Trump is still holding strongly. Republicans are still bitter about the victory of Democrats. That is a mature democracy. I mean, look, I mean, they are still bitter and they've not given the Democrats a chance. So it is not unusual. I am not supporting what is going on. So it's not unusual that we have this. And of course, they say time kills every wound. So with time, when the new government has settled in and all the you paid about the court cases are all decided one way or the other, then everybody will go back to normalcy. But I think if anybody is thinking that this election has any comment, I think the person is just trying to be a sore loser or a very bad loser. Maybe you didn't ask me to talk about body judge. But if I may say talk about body judge, which is your focal point this evening, I think I think I would expect the elder statement that everybody respects. And at this point, it is not the personal body judge that should be leading this kind of attack on our democracy, on the present elect. It should be the smaller children, not body judge. Body judge has played his duties in this country. Body judge was a senior naval officer. He returned as a one-star general of the Nigerian Navy. Body judge served as governor of those states. So body judge has served as an elder statement. And as such, he should leave it. Body judge was the same person that said if we had him win, he would go next day. He didn't go. He stayed back. Now, if he didn't win, he's gonna. So what does he really want? He will now allow people to not start destroying him. He's an elder statement. Let him remain an elder statement. His candidate lost. He should accept it. And let us not start debating body judge or who he is, his capabilities. Let him not bring himself to that level when little, small boys will not start explaining who body judge is. So I think for me, he should accept the fact that whatever whoever he supported lost the election and whoever he didn't support won. And then if he wants to go and exit, he can gently go and exile if he wants to. Then not to overhear the policy and be making statements that will not make people to not start asking who is body judge. Let's not explain body judge. How would he want to go there? In case he wants to go there, people might go there and explain body judge. Just so we understand, if another boy is waiting anyway, but just so we understand, so that we don't infer something that you may not have meant when you were talking, it sounded as if being a statement, which body judge should be, if there is anything to complain about as a statement, you cannot complain. You leave the little boys, as you call them, the young boys to complain about these things. So make us understand why body judge cannot complain and speak his mind. During the election, body judge expressed his opinions here. He showed his preference. He campaigned as a lectionary. He campaigned for a candidate. He showed his preference. He was very, very vocal. But after election, there are statements, there are some things that you don't as an elder statement, that you should just let go. Yes, nobody is, defeat doesn't suit anybody. But as an elder statement, you have been, you have been a general in the Nigerian Navy. So you know that there is always a defeat in any assignment. So at that point, you don't start talking about you going on exile or you don't want to go to exile. You don't start talking about all those things. For me, for me, they are the meaning of the caliber of body judge. That is just my personal opinion. Okay. Let me go to Ipunabo. Why I didn't really focus on body judge, even though our literature about today is body judge, we're talking about the words that he used, that he's going to exile himself to any country because according to him, Tinobu has no capacity to rule Nigeria. Whatever that meant to him is not the issue here. The issue is that apart from the person of body judge, we heard before this time how two Nigerians living abroad had to tear their passports as Nigerians. They didn't want to be Nigerians anymore. Whether we know them in Nigeria or not, whether they're significant or not, but this is done in public glare. People who are coming from Nigeria, burning ties, burning bridges with Nigeria because of what they perceive as an injustice being done in their country. It throws on us in a very bad light. So we cannot say because someone is insignificant, he can't go to hell. So that is why my question that I asked first of all is that in light of all this, whether it is perceived or real, we need something that will give us some kind of healing. And the question was, are we doing enough to make sure we arrive at this point where we get the needed healing and forge ahead as a country? Or what else do we need to do for this healing to come fast enough with Pinabu? Well, first of all let me say to the liminal state that inasmuch as Bodegir, ought to be one respected man, the eldest is not in this country. I, with my book, is a nuclear carrier. I don't think I have any respect for him politically because he has shown on my dreams high level of partisanship. By yes, I was shocked when Bodegir joined the G5 and was making all kinds of statements. Like I said, these are not the first time we are struggling to go on legs. I need to be a Bodegir good on legs like that. The country will not come to an end. It will not. That is just an expression of his displeasure. A little Bodegir will go on legs right now, then it will be quite surprising considering it is never the less. A lot of people, we are not happy with the aftermath. You cannot, never, ever in the history, save the civil war of the 10 years leadership of Nigeria and so forth. You know, they build up to the election and you cannot divorce Aynet from it. Yes, we've had elections in the past characterized by regimes and so on. But this is peculiar. And what makes it peculiar? Aynet gave Nigerians the hope that their elections were going to be free fair and fair. And people traveled from all over the globe, especially with the production of the rivers, which the world saw as a prerequisite. So matriculating into the University of Transparency, political University of Transparency, credibility, fairness. With all the high blood for the destructive rhetoric by Aynet, I'm talking about the chairman and presto support. So Nigerians, even those in the house felt that this time around the votes of the people would come. Sadly, it wasn't the case. We hope you are dashed. And why a lot of people are angry. It's not just because we're letting you in next. No, far from it. Inasmuch as so many Nigerians, too, believe that when you come from Sida in Baguio, you have a lot of controversy surrounding this application. And nobody, none of his person, his supporters, his officials, those have come up to pay the tuition. Most times, the employer, what you can call second-low tuition, they are pre-validating. If you ask, with Babu, which school and which school do you ask? Even if you ask my brother, which school and which school? He will even go into when he graduated, his classmates, his teachers and so on. In this particular instance, we have changed his name, who was your classmate until tomorrow? Nobody knew. Up to the issue of his parents, up to the issue of the narcotic scandal, where he paid money, which is a conviction. He paid money, the courts find it, and he paid, which he admitted. But what his spokesman, versus Guillermo's argument, which suffers from equity and poverty of logic, was that it was not the volatility, it was his company. This is what I can deduce that. He paid, and his name was also on that judgment paper. Haven't said all this. If today, I necklace him, consider it fixed. No problem. If the court also says, yes, no problem, there's nothing you can do about that. But don't forget, there is a difference between legality and legitimacy. There are places where candidates want, and you can see the air suffused with joy. Now, in the case of Alameda, you know too well, even when you consider the past previous head of president, you know too well that you found more of sadness than joy. And I'll tell you why. Not necessarily his precedent. No. I'll tell you why. First and foremost, what they did to these frozen legals, that M. Cholubo and Cholubo, what they did to these frozen legals. Number two, you remember what his wife said? And just before the elections, they asked her, which is that you cannot come to legals, make your money at Aliboma and not vote for the APC. They should rather leave. She said she has no regrets. Now, at that point, that this is an opportunity for her to correct an impression. But she said that she has no regrets. Now, shortly before the election, they reminded her of basketball. It's a no regret. Now, number two, after the election, you could still see the likes of Panikah of the first to Skeremo and to making incendiary and divisive statements. Well, I'm a little bit silent on this. Now, we are talking about reconciliation. Well, I'm a little bit silent on this. As the president-elect, we also have called them to comment. In north of the Fire and Bringsfield, in north of the war, wars and so on. You don't need all that. We need healing. No, that's not the case. Now, if people say that was not Balaam-e-Tinibu, but don't forget that the servants on an era, if caught doing something wrong, is as guilty as the master. That is what they call the carriers, the abilities of the law. We expected Balaam-e-Tinibu, being the president-elect, a statesman, to say enough of the fireworks. The matters are in court, even when provoked. Have you had attitude to talk carelessly? Even when the people, even when you're provoked, you say, my tip was, the matters are in court. While you surreptitiously try to smoothen out the rocks with their grief parts. Yes, whenever you have a election, people have their grief parts, rightly or wrongly. Okay. It's left for the court to decide. Okay. But we expect the president-elect, we expect the president-elect to call his royalist to order. Okay. Don't go on telling to further, faster, you're ready bad situation. Okay, I see that. If you talk about healing, I get that. That's the healing that I've been asking for. That's one angle of it. Okay, the president-elect should talk. We need to hear that. But there are other things to interrogate here, and our time is running. From the words of Bodejo, like I said, I don't want us to make it about Bodejo, but some of the things that have been expressed, some people have expressed them as well. So, whether anybody has political standing or not, but they are Nigerians, and if that is what they're expressing, which we've not seen in other elections, I don't know if you have seen, I have not seen in other elections. I'm coming to Alistair now. Bodejo said that Tinnubu cannot, doesn't have the capacity to rule Nigeria. Maybe one thing that Ipunabos said is that he's being silent, and he shouldn't do that as a president-elect. But there are some things that have noticed, or people have noticed, just after the election won. There is a colloquium that is being held, and that reinvigorates the economy in some ways that teaches some people in some ways. Like the Ninth Colloquium, for instance, had, the keynote speaker had something about Nigerian spirit of enterprise. The attendance in that colloquium was massive, and the people that learned lessons and went from there, and keep learning lessons from each colloquium are very many. There was summit of an automobile assembly. There was, for housing assembly, there was Nigeria spirit of enterprise. There was clothing industry. There was food and cosmetic industry. There was tech assembly, and there were a lot of things to learn from, from that colloquium. And every other one that has been held before that. But just now, the only year that he's been elected, president-elect, he canceled the colloquium. Instead, he called for prayers. And guess what? He called for prayers to be sprayed, especially like in Lagos here. Let me read directly from his aid. In Lagos, the prayers will be offered at the central mosque in each of the five divisions in the state, including the central mosque, Kalausa Ikeja. Special prayers will be offered for peace, unity, and progress of Nigeria. In the statement I saw, I saw nothing about Christian. The prayers will be held in mosques across Lagos state. Nothing was said about Christians. Maybe this is a conspiracy theory or something. But for someone who imaged on a platform that was askance, with a platform that was questionable, I don't know whether this should be. And then this morning, just this morning, we saw people transporters protesting that suddenly the fee that they pay to the ones we have termed aguerus has suddenly gone up. We also saw, was it yesterday or today, where a very popular musician said, nothing can be done to him by the police, because they rule this country now. His master is at the helm of affairs. And like Ipunabo said, nothing has been said by the president elect. What does it say about his capacity to quell uprisings to put Nigeria in a good footing whether economically or not, but as a united nation, like you started Alekstar, Nigeria will not disintegrate. So being silent in all this, does it tell you that when the curtains are down, he can administer Nigeria the way he should? I am so disappointed at your narrative. I have been to your station very often and I respect your station so well. And that's why that even though I am in transit, I still say, but I'm disappointed at your narrative. I think put me right, whether you're disappointed or not, but put me right. I ask the question. Give me the light, whether the statement of putting George was correct or not. It's my turn to speak. This is not you. This is not what your station stands for. This is what we see from our rights and I'm disappointed. First and foremost, you are in friends about the other about him talking about prayer to be held in Mosque and you didn't see Christ and you didn't see church churches. I don't know what you are trying to infer. He said this is Ramadan. This is the period of Ramadan. And that is why he cancelled it because it was the period of Ramadan. And so he said we should be held in those mosques because this is the period of Ramadan. So making any parents for me, I think this is the problem we have with the agenda. I'm not supposed to account. I'm not. I'm not. It's also the problem. It's also the time of length. Take take that point. We are not we are not comparing things, but it's also the time because you made that statement and I take seriously to eat because this is the thing that the press does to escalate our already Friday or a fair meaning that he thought to will not be there. But that's not the issue. I'm not a friend about whatever either Mosque or church or anything. He has been organizing his colloquium on his birthday. And this time around, he said he's canceling it because of the period of Ramadan. And it is his right. It is his right as a Muslim to add the prayers we made for him in the mosques. Whatever informed that reason, I don't know. But I don't think we should believe it for every minute. We are talking about healing and then expanding what is not expandable is not helping us with the healing. Unfortunately, unfortunately to my brother, he has also dwelt on his on his credentials and all that. That's not for me. That's not where I'm going. The fact remains that election has been done. One. There must be only one winner. And even if it was one, this election was won by TIKU, OB will have completed it was rigged. Trimble will have completed it was rigged. If it was won by OB, there are two will have completed it was rigged. If it was won by Kwakwansu, there are ones will have two. This is the Nigeria that we are. Let me say this. Anybody, look, when Barack Obama won election in the U.S. in 19, in 2008, what happened? Some people in 13 states moved the emotion of cessation from the, from the, from the confederation. It was an opening thing. Some people from 13 states were trying to quote the constitution that they can succeed because they never like to buy my black one to be president. So it chooses to try his old passports or used passport in the name of being angry. That is that that person is insignificant. Maybe I've left Nigeria. So why is it coming apart? We are brought. Why not stay in Nigeria? We're not in Nigeria. Are we fools? We are making a living out of Nigeria. I've not left this country. All that I've made in my life is in Nigeria. I've not left Nigeria. I only go out of Nigeria for holidays. All that I've made in Nigeria, all that I've made in my life is in Nigeria. People have made it big in Nigeria. So if you choose to be a refugee abroad, because you are lazy, you cannot enter to live in Nigeria and you are abroad, and you are stinging your country and telling your passport, that is your responsibility. You are, you are, you are insignificant. Just like that statement, Bodhichar is thinking about living in India. He's one man. And people have left. And we are all here. As I'm driving now, there are people who are walking on the streets, they cannot even live in. Go to the UK, there are people who are walking on the streets. I've traveled wide in this world. Go to even the most prosperous country, talking about Singapore. You see people walking on the streets. So even if Bodhi felt that he was afraid about the election, and then he chose passport, of what value is that to the person? I mean to Nigeria. We are over 200 million. And if people choose, people change nationality. Every day, people are asking to become Nigerians. People are planning to become Nigerians. So people are planning to become British, to become Australian, to become American. So it's a few words. The words I'm saying, in essence, is this. In terms of capacity, Bodhichar is not important to cover capacity. Because all I say, let's not go there. He was governor of Fondo State. Please, let him name his legacy in Fondo State. And I'm sure Bodhichar will name 200 legacies in Lego that he left, even after he left office. So we're talking about capacity. So for me, we're talking about a healing process. And it is, and he reached out. Bodhichar reached out after the election. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a partisan, I'm not in any party. He reached out to his opponent and said he should join him. And what happened in Lego, Bodhichar issued a statement. So this is what I'm saying here, that his men are attacking others. What are others attacking him every day? People are digging out all kinds of things, from the real to the mundane. And then what is meant to keep quiet? Look, one truth, we look, we are in an internet age. We are in a social media age. Then one thing is keep running on social media. social media, and we are in a perverse press age, that if they keep running and there is no rebuttal, it becomes the truth. So his men also have a right to rebuttal. Because every day, since he's been thrown from nowhere, you see he's been thrown from everywhere, you see people stating this, and sometimes when this is not stated and there is no counter, it becomes the truth. So if his men are extending, then they have a right to respond. Again, he has responded. Since he did it, he has responded in several ways. What happened in Lagos? Rapping up, rapping up please. He was going to rule Lagos, and he ruled Lagos for everybody. He didn't discriminate in Lagos. He has commissioners who are non-Europeans, sometimes in Lagos. So he said, he's a destabilized man. I'm not a party member, I'm just saying it, but I'm telling you the man I know, the man that we want to know. Let me relation this, come on God. All right, thank you, Alexa. Thank you, Alexa. Our time is like we have like two minutes, so I'd like your response as we wrap up on this segment before we go to... Yes, at least I was going wrong, because what I said, I said a lot of people were agreeing, nevertheless, the elections have been conducted and the market is in place, that's what I said. And I have no regrets. And I said here again, that whenever you have a election, of course, a lot of people should be agreed. And I stated why a lot of them were also agreed. Which is also in all the national and international journals and papers. So there's absolutely not wrong with that. Then again, on the issue of the colloquial, let us face facts. This year did not hold any because it was also like a political gathering. And he has so far gotten what he wants. Because if you say it is Ramadan, the other year you had Ramadan and then you also had Ramadan and then. But it is his choice. It is within his past to so do whatever he wants to do. And it is also within the right of everybody. It doesn't mean it's not in the message, but in the message user. If you say it, you must do the right work on the one person. If you say it, it is left to plural interpretation. So before you do anything, you must consider the interpretation of any other person. You cannot say it and say, no, actually this is what I meant. You have to get right, whatever you say or whatever you do. Because subject to interpretation. If you are against it, you also have this common field of experience. If from your friend. And I said to him, I said to you, I said to you, you remind me, get away from here. He might understand what I mean. But if I said that to somebody that is not a friend, he will misinterpret it as my little mitigations. So when you're saying it or doing it, you must do it in such a way that it will be losing to a majority of people. So it's not a question of this or that. And once you do that, it is subject to plural interpretation. Even if you slander it or move it into it, so be it. That's why it is your duty to ensure that you are transparent and clear as you can in life. That is one aspect of it. Then the second one is the issue. Like I said here, I said this. What do you expect that I'm attainable to do? I just mentioned something. He said, other people are not attacking. I can tell you right now that if I tell you to mention those that have been casting as factions on Bola Mejimi, like I said, I'm also not the only political party. I told you, I said I would vote across party lines. And that was exactly what I did. Because it has to do with my perception of you and your antecedent. Now, if I tell you, just for example, you have the likes of Hattithwa Mubaka, you have the likes of Mubaka. Hattithwa Mubaka instructed his men never to attack anybody. Even when Yesomite was attacking, he kept mute. Even now he said to them, no, we'll go to court, we're already in court. Labour Party, everybody knows that. He has been saying that from day one. And most times when people come on air, they analyze the issue. They don't bring invectives on this other person. Just like what Farnitya mentioned to Farnitya, they are first to scam up. They don't like the likes of Bola Mubaka as well as of Hattithwa and the Labour Party and talking of the major political party, like now. Even before and so, they come on air and analyze the situation. Most times they indict Ine, they are not as abusive and aggressive as Farnitya, they are first to scam up. And if you, we understand that, so if man likes to scam up, he's trying to ingratiate himself so that he'll be retained in the centre of the executive council. No doubt about that. Because some of the things he's doing are completely legal. You're in office and you're going to fall in your own capacity. How can you distinguish that? How can you distinguish that? But just because he wants to ingratiate himself with Bola Mubaka so that he's returned in the centre of the executive council. What we are saying, now you're the president-elect, in actual fact, as the president-elect, you are no longer at the same level with the likes of Pito B. So you should be more dignified. You can come on air to say, nobody needs to speak on these things anymore. We are going to fall. What will be said now that has not been said. The only thing that people are analyzing right now is the election. Let's wrap up. People are no longer talking about, oh, you are criminal. You are not a criminal. Because the court will decide it. And remember I said here in my opening, I said whatever it is, where I declared it. So it's now left for the courts. But people are analyzing the legalities during the election. And if I come on air to say, plus TV is bad. And you say, no, plus TV is not bad. It's quite different from attacking the owner of plus TV. I can say I don't like the way you act. Just like Alistair said, oh, he disappointed. No problem. You can attack the station. But you don't go beyond to attack the best. That is the point you are making. And as a president in life, like I said, there's no longer a car with this other one. So he should be the best. Even if they are building for nothing tomorrow, he should be the first. Let's wrap up. No problem. Even if they attack me leaving until after the court. Open up. What is the healing process you are talking about? Open up. Thank you. Thank you. Well, you know, sometimes when things happen like this, we talk and we talk. But the bottom line is whether we quarrel, whether we fight, we need Nigeria to heal. And we hope that that healing will come fast enough. Whatever the avenues we are going to use, whatever we are going to see, whatever we are going to do, we are hoping Nigeria will emerge stronger. Thank you so much, for coming on the program and also Alistair Wilcox for coming on the program. It's always good to have you. Thank you very much for having me. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Happy bad day. God bless Nigeria and we go protect our troops. From us to. I don't mind. My brother. Ok. Ladies and gentlemen, we have been talking to our public affairs analyst and another public affairs analyst, Alistair Wilcox, and we have been talking about capacity. We have been talking about healing process. We have been talking about the grievances presidential election, especially in Nigeria. We'll take a short break now. When we return, we'll be talking security, according to DSS. Stay with us.