A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has vowed to defeat the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should the latter contest the 2023 presidency against him.
Both indigenes of Lagos, the duo have been at daggers drawn politically for many years.
While George has indicated his interest in the 2023 presidency, Tinubu’s interest has been rumoured but he has yet to publicly confirm the alleged interest.
But the PDP chieftain said that should the 2023 presidency be zoned to the South-West geopolitical zone, he will not only contest against Tinubu but will soundly defeat him too.
“One of the main reasons I’m joining the 2023 race is to stop Tinubu. If the presidency is zoned to the South-West in 2023, and Tinubu enters the race I will not only face him but also stop him.
“Tinubu should remember that Nigeria is a bigger constituency, it is not Lagos where Tinubu and APC have been rigging the elections,’’ the former Military Governor of Ondo State told Sun.
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In the same vein, he decried the Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of insecurity plaguing the nation.
The retired Commodore, who hailed the military for progress made, said the military has found it difficult to subdue the insurgents because the war is guerilla warfare, not the conventional warfare the soldiers were used to.
He encouraged the Federal Government to dialogue with the insurgents to arrive at an amicable solution.
“Take a look at guerilla warfare in the Latin America, especially in countries like Cuba, Mexico, and other countries like Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, despite years of battle in the bush, they eventually had to resort to dialogue to bring about peace.
“This is what happened in Vietnam also when the Americans realized that it was going to be difficult to identify an enemy in Vietnam because they all look alike.
“Recently, the United States forces in Afghanistan announced that it was time to discuss with Talibans for peace to reign in that country.
“This is despite the fact that the Americans had the most sophisticated weapons to fight the Talibans.
“The Talibans had been a thorn in the flesh of the American troops for many years, and it has not been easy for the American troops to fight them because they dress the same way, and speak the same language with the local people.
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“After many years of battle with the Talibans, somebody now advised the Americans that it is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.
“I’m suggesting that we adopt this option in this Boko Haram war because I believe it is the best for us in the present circumstance,” George stated.