APC Chieftain, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday refuted the claim that he apologised Bode George, for allegedly playing a part in jailing him.
Mr. George had, in an interview with THE PUNCH, claimed that Mr. Tinubu apologised to him at a public function.He further stated that Initially, Tinubu thought he hated him so much and conspired to use a judge to put him in prison.
However, Mr. Tinubu said at no time had he begged Mr. George for forgiveness since he never wronged him. He further stated that it amounted to an insult on the judiciary for Mr. George to assume that his conviction was wrongly derived or that he(George) was a victim of conspiracy.
He said there was no way he could have influenced Mr. George’s imprisonment. He was charged by the government ruled by his own party for an offence concerning financial irregularities at the Nigeria Port Authority, NPA, an appointment he received from that same government. It is an incredible tale indeed to state that somehow I could direct a party that tried to dismantle the progressive political structure of my party to bring down one of its key members.
He offered opposing account of what transpired at the burial of late Alao Arisekola, where Mr. George claimed the APC chieftain begged him.
“Mr. George claims the alleged apology was made at the burial of Chief Alao Arisekola. On that date, personalities such as Oba Otudeko and Governor Ajimobi approached me because I did not greet Mr. George initially. They pleaded that, in the memory of the man we were all gathered to honour, I should greet Mr. George. At their request, I turned back and came to greet him by saying “Good Afternoon Egbon”. That was all.
“If Mr. George wishes to interpret that as an apology, he has the right to do so. I also have the right to state categorically that no apology was made or even intended,” he explained.
On the statement Mr. George’s made declaring that he would go on exile should APC win the presidential election, Mr. Tinubu added that neither him nor APC had the intention of victimizing the PDP leader, stating that, “We have no time or inclination to trouble ourselves by troubling Bode George.”
