"All Presidential Candidates Have My Blessings" – IBB Talks Abacha, Dele Giwa & More

Former military president, Gen Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has cleared the air on his preferred candidate in the forth-coming presidential election saying that he endorses all the candidates. Babangida made this known yesterday in a Channels Television talk show programme, "Straight Talk" where he said all the candidates have shown passion for the unity of the country.

Asked by the programme presenter, Kadaria Ahmed if he actually endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as was reported in the media, Babangida said he actually alluded to it. “I did allude to that, I said I found him as someone who has a very strong belief about the unity of this country.

“Those of us who fought the civil war, I still carry a bullet here as a permanent reminder in me, anything that talks about Nigeria’s unity, I get impassioned about it. So what I said is that the president believes in the unity of this country and any other person who believes in the unity of this country should support the president to keep the country one.

“Well, as far as 2015 is concerned all the presidential candidates, 14 of them have my blessing. The only difference, I did mention it, is that, I have not been able to read what they have to offer to this country and I am going to do that. Whoever offers what I was looking forward to I will cast my vote,” IBB said

The former military leader also spoke about his immediate successor, Late Gen Sani Abacha saying that it never crossed his mind that Abacha was going to seize power from the leader of the then interim government headed by the Chief Ernest Shokekan.

“It never crossed my mind that Abacha would overthrow the interim government, quite honestly, it never did. When he executed the coup, it didn’t come to me as a surprise because all of you in this country gave him the wherewithal to do it. A coup always succeeds if there was a frustration in the society and that frustration was orchestrated.

“I governed for eight years using decree, that interim government was given a constitution and that constitution was supported by a law. So, as far as I’m concerned, it was not illegitimate. It was legitimately done as it’s done in military government all over the world,” he said.

Asked about allegation that he was responsible for the gruesome murder of media guru, Mr Dele Giwa levelled by his former aide, IBB said he does not join issues with his subordinates on any issue.

He noted that he did not regret anything he did during his regime but averred that if there was anything he would have done differently would have been to insert the two party system into the Nigerian constitution.

Source: The Leadership