A former deputy national publicity secretary of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has strongly rebuked Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for his recent comments on Atiku Abubakar’s presidential aspirations.
Frank asserted that no individual, including George, has the power to determine Atiku’s fate in the 2027 presidential elections if it is divinely ordained.
George had suggested that Atiku should postpone his presidential ambitions until 2031, given the PDP’s expected nomination of a southern candidate for the 2027 elections. However, Frank rejected this counsel, accusing George of overstepping his authority and indulging in self-deception.
Frank emphasized that any opposition from George or others cannot hinder Atiku’s potential rise to the presidency if it is God’s will. He questioned George’s credibility, referencing his past conviction by a Lagos High Court in 2009 for abuse of office and contract splitting during his tenure as chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority. Although George was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2013, Frank argued that this history makes him unfit to make definitive statements about the nation’s future leadership.
Frank also criticized George’s previous remarks, particularly his unfulfilled pledge to relinquish his Nigerian citizenship and relocate to Ghana if Bola Tinubu became president in 2023. Additionally, Frank highlighted George’s incorrect prediction in 2022 that Tinubu lacked educational certificates, which has proven false.
On the possibility of Atiku running for president in 2027, Frank was resolute in his belief that no force, including George, could stop what is divinely ordained. “If God says Atiku will be President in 2027, a thousand Olabode Georges living on the Supreme Court’s magnanimity cannot annul it,” he declared.
Frank concluded by noting George’s history of not supporting Atiku in previous elections, yet Atiku has consistently emerged victorious in the PDP primaries. “Besides, George has never supported Atiku in any election, but he has always won his primary and emerged as the candidate of the PDP,” Frank stressed
