Chief Bode George, a former Director of the National War College and ex-Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticized the proposed military intervention in Niger Republic by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the leadership of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following the overthrow of the democratic government by the military.
In an exclusive interview with THE SUN, Bode George expressed concern about the potential consequences of the war and questioned the course of action if the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) were to unseat Tinubu as Nigeria’s President. He stated, “Look at us in Nigeria, we are still waiting for the end of the electoral process and you are now committing yourself to war. Just imagine that the court comes out and says no to Bola Tinubu as president, what then happens? It takes a lot of time for things to fall into place because Rome wasn’t built in a day”.
Forewarning the severe repercussions of engaging in war, Bode George appealed to President Tinubu to adopt a diplomatic approach to address the situation, emphasizing that as the chair of ECOWAS, the focus should be on economic development rather than military interventions. He emphasized that no dictatorship in the world endures for long without inflicting immense suffering on the populace. He also stressed that the people of Niger, currently showing support for the junta, will eventually recognize that not everything that glitters is gold.