Close friends and an unnamed son of the former military president Ibrahim Badamosi Babagida (IBB) made a last ditch attempt Sunday evening, to abort a statement issued that was critical of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sources have told BusinessDay of how the friends of the former president panicked immediately IBB’s message was released to the media, afraid of the potential impact it would have on their relationship with the President Buhari administration. It was these friends, working with an unnamed son that quickly moved to issue a counter press release debunking the earlier critical statement.
But Kazeem Afegbua, spokesman for IBB quickly approached Channels Television to reaffirm the statement after speaking with IBB. By then the original statement and counter statement had already gone viral on social media. More drama was added to the issue when a media house reported that Afegbua has been declared wanted by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kazeem for issuing a ‘fake statement.’ IBB has since personally confirmed to ThisDay newspapers that he issued the statement.
IBB is adding his voice to the clamour to end the 2019 re-election ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari even as the former leader recommended a shift for the younger generation to take power in 2019.
Buhari is 75 this year, and if he wins a second term in office, will be almost 80 by the time he is ready to retire. This will make him one of the oldest presidents on the continent, in a country with a largely youthful population. The median age of the country’s population is currently estimated at 17.9 years, four times below President Buhari’s current age.
‘In the fullness of our present realities, we need to cooperate with President Muhammadu Buhari to complete his term of office on May 29th, 2019 and collectively prepare the way for new generation leaders to assume the mantle of leadership of the country.’
‘While offering this advice, I speak as a stakeholder, former president, concerned Nigerian and a patriot who desires to see new paradigms in our shared commitment to get this country running.’
He noted that time has come for the country restructure saying ‘When the ruling party campaigned with the change mantra, I had thought they would device new methods, provoke new initiatives and proffer new ways to addressing some of our developmental problems.
‘By now, in line with her manifesto, one would have thought that the APC will give fillip to the idea of devolution of powers and tinker with processes that would strengthen and reform the various sectors of the economy. Like I did state in my previous statement late last year, devolution of power or restructuring is an idea whose time has come, if we must be honest with ourselves.
‘We need to critically address the issue and take informed positions based on the expectations of the people on how to make the union work better. Political parties should not exploit this as a decoy to woo voters because election time is here. We need to begin the process of restructuring both in the letter and spirit of it.’
He argued that the nation needs a new approach to reenergise the polity stressing that ‘We need new ways and new approaches in our political order. We need a national rebirth. We need a rebranded Nigeria and rebranded politics. It is not so much for the people, but for the institutions that are put in place to promote our political engagements. We must strengthen the one man one vote mantra. It is often ridiculous for me when people use smaller countries in our West Africa sub-region as handy references of how democracy should be. It beggars our giant of Africa status.’
“The next election in 2019 therefore presents us a unique opportunity to reinvent the wheel and provoke fresh leadership that would immediately begin the process of healing the wounds in the land and ensuring that the wishes and aspirations of the people are realised in building and sustaining national cohesion and consensus.
IBB, in a statement issued, also decried the incessant killings going on in parts of the country, following the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers which have spilled so much blood and displaced thousands of people. He said that if Nigeria fails to arrest these conflicts, then the peace and stability of the country could be threatened.
‘I pray the Almighty Allah grant us the gift of good life to witness that glorious dawn in 2019. Amen. I have not written an open letter to the President, I have just shared my thoughts with fellow compatriots on the need to enthrone younger blood into the mainstream of our political leadership starting from 2019.’
IBB’s statement has intensified the rising opposition against the second term ambitions President Muhammadu Buhari as more Nigerians have welcomed the statement.
Reacting to the IBB letter, the People’s Democratic Party PDP, in a statement through its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Sunday, described the declaration by former President Ibrahim Babangida as ‘apt and yet another pointer to the fact that Nigerians across divides have reached a consensus against President Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).’
The main opposition party said Babangida’s position on the need for a dynamic, nationalistic and development-driven leadership is a direct reflection of the feeling and aspirations of Nigerians and completely captures the direction of the repositioned PDP for a better Nigeria.
‘It is now obvious to all that the time has come for all Nigerians to jettison all personal interests and divisive tendencies and rally forces under a truly national platform as now embodied in the PDP to rescue our dear nation from total collapse.’
The National Chairman of the National Unity Party (NUP) Perry Opara, in his reaction, said it was a welcome development as his party will need it to position itself to capture power in 2019.
He told BusinessDay in an exclusive interview on Sunday that his party remains the best for Nigerians in 2019 adding that they will do everything possible to leverage on the opportunity being provided by the seeming rejection of the APC and President Buhari to capture power in 2019.
A political and financial analyst, Katch Ononuju told BusinessDay on Sunday, that President Buhari attracted this rejection because of his ‘despicable act of nepotism and clannishness.’ He added that judging by Buhari’s provincial mindset; he will throw Nigeria into ‘anarchy’ if he is allowed to get another four-year term in office.
Efforts made to get the reaction of the APC leadership was not successful as calls put across to the APC publicity Secretary., Bolaji Abdullahi were not answered.
