Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has called on President Bola Tinubu to implement the 2014 National Conference recommendations in honour of late elder statesmen Chief Edwin Clark and Chief Ayo Adebanjo.
Speaking at a media briefing on Friday in Lagos, George said both men, who passed away in February just three days apart, gave their best to Nigeria through their active roles in the 2014 Constitutional Conference convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Chief Adebanjo, a former leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere, died on February 14 at the age of 96, while Chief Edwin Clark, a Niger Delta leader, died on February 17 at 97.
George, a retired Naval Commodore and former military governor of Ondo State, said the most meaningful way to immortalise the two nationalists is for President Tinubu to release and implement the Confab report which they helped shape.
“Mr. President, I am appealing to you, release the report of the 2014 Confab for the benefit of Nigerians, in the memory of these two old men,” he said.
According to him, the conference resolutions—agreed upon by a wide range of delegates—offer practical solutions to many of Nigeria’s current problems, including insecurity, economic hardship, and political instability.
George said the current constitution is outdated and overly centralised, leaving too much power in the hands of one man in Aso Rock. He criticised the imbalance in local government structures and resource distribution, calling it unfair and unsustainable.
“Lagos has 20 local governments while Kano has 44. How is that fair when Lagos has more people?” he asked.
He stressed that the Confab advocated for restructuring Nigeria into a “United States of Nigeria” where power would be better shared among the states.
George also urged the President to address insecurity and fix the economy, while pushing for electoral reforms that ensure elections truly reflect the will of the people.
Commenting on recent defections from PDP to the APC, George said he could not understand why party leaders were leaving but called for internal unity and reform within the PDP.
“PDP is not finished,” he insisted. “We must fix our internal issues and focus on the national interest.”
