In Nigerian politics, few names have endured as long, or stirred as much conversation, as Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George. Atona Oodua of Yorubaland. Former military governor of Ondo State. Former Deputy National Secretary of the PDP. A man who has worked with three Nigerian presidents. For decades, Lagos has been his political home, and it is in Lagos that his story of elections won, battles fought, and principles defended has been written most clearly.
What keeps him in the conversation in 2026 is not just the offices he has held. It is the way he has held them.
Chief George cut his teeth in public service early, administering Ondo State with the discipline of a soldier and the pragmatism of a politician. At the national level, as Deputy National Secretary of the PDP, he helped build party structures during a formative period in Nigeria’s democracy.
Along the way, he became a mentor. Many of today’s former ministers, governors and senators point to him as part of their political foundation. In political meetings across Lagos, you will still hear the phrase he is known for: “carry everybody along.” For him, it is not just rhetoric. It is a method — the idea that stakeholders must be engaged, voices must be heard, and no one should be left behind in the process of governance.
Lagos politics over the last 25 years has been defined, in his words, by a “reckless zest for power” and the “capture and truncation of the people’s will.” In that environment, Chief George has positioned himself as a consistent critic of electoral manipulation.
He has argued, repeatedly, that elections should be free and fair. That INEC, the Police, and other institutions should be allowed to do their work without pressure. That the outcome should be left to the people, and ultimately, to God. He describes himself as God-fearing, and says that is why he has never sought to twist the arms of election apparatuses the way, he argues, some “greedy and self-centered” actors do.
In contests where he emerged victorious in Lagos, his supporters saw it as proof that the people’s mandate could still prevail despite the odds.
Public life in Nigeria comes with scrutiny, and Chief George has faced his share. Following charges related to his tenure at the Nigerian Ports Authority, he was convicted and served time. He was later discharged and acquitted by the Supreme Court.
He returned to public discourse not in retreat, but with the same directness. For many who admire him, that period reinforced his resilience. For others, it remains part of a contested legacy. But it did not end his relevance. If anything, it deepened the conversation about accountability, due process, and what we expect from public officers.
Today, Nigeria’s political space is crowded with new faces and new money. Yet Chief George remains a reference point. People call him because he has memory. He has seen administrations come and go. He speaks, often bluntly, truth to authority.
Supporters say there are only a few people left on the continent who combine boldness with compassion in holding government accountable. Critics may disagree with his style or his politics. But even they acknowledge his staying power.
His message to younger politicians is simple: leadership is about more than winning. It is about self-reliance, truth, and statesmanship — values he believes are yet to be rivaled by much of today’s politics.
Chief Bode George’s life is not just a personal story. It is a lens through which to view 30 years of Lagos and national politics — the wins, the losses, the reforms, and the failures.
In a democracy, the hardest work is protecting the idea that the people’s vote must count. That has been his fight. And it is why, for many in Lagos and beyond, his voice still carries weight.
As new leaders emerge, his journey offers a light: that enduring leadership is built not on the capture of power, but on carrying people along.
Bode Ogun writes from Ibadan.
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