Bode George: ‘Atiku no longer a thief’ statement not from me

I read with dismay a statement attributed to me by one A.A. Olayinka Shogbanmu.
Using my photograph to accompany the alcohol-induced opinion which, obviously, is lacking in intelligence, he quoted me to have said the following on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Waziri Adamawa and the presidential candidate of our great party: “I can confidently tell you that Atiku is no longer a thief. We shall vote for him because we believe he won’t repeat stealing like he did in the past”.
I, Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, want to categorically state that the above statement is from the pit of hell. This luceferic write-up did not emanate from me as I have never, and will never, descend so low to use such a demonic and gutter language on anybody.
I am very much aware that this is the season of politics and all sorts of characters are bound to come out to be noticed. Some desperate politicians will also descend to any despicable level to use others for their inordinate ambition.
That anybody can attribute the above statement to me is an expression of absolute lunacy and if any politician, as I suspect, is the sponsor of the statement, then, such a fellow should have his or her head examined at a government-recognised psychiatric hospital.
I want to state for the record that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as a presidential aspirant, visited my Lagos office with his entourage during the campaign and PDP leaders in Lagos, led by my humble self, welcomed, advised and prayed for him.
Now that he is the presidential candidate of our great party for the February 25, 2023 election, it stands logic on its head for me to use such gutter language on a prominent Nigerian, a former Vice President and our candidate.
In my decades of public service, I never worked in the same office with Alhaji Atiku. I was not in the Customs. He was never in the Navy. We never had any financial dealings. In PDP, I was a national officer in the party secretariat in Abuja. He was in government. So, how a lunatic will attribute that senseless statement to me is something I still can’t understand. The fellow must be suffering from undiluted madness.
I never issued such an uncouth statement and will never do such.
Since this is a political season, it is expected that campaign of calumny will be flying all over with reckless abandon to trick and deceive Nigerians.
I want to reiterate that the above statement is laughable, wicked, senseless, unreasonable, unwise, stupid and without common sense.
If the intention is to deceive voters, those behind the statement have failed.
Nigerians will never fall for this type of evil, fiendish, devilish and diabolical opinion.

Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George
Atona Oodua of Yorubaland
July 3, 2022