FORMER Military Head of States, General Ibrahim Babangida, has denied allegation that he, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Gusau, and chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, are the big masqueraders behind Labour Party’s presidential standard-bearer, Peter Obi.
Babangida made this revelation in an interview with Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The New Xpress newspaper, Steve Nwosu.
The former Military Head of States played no Maradona as he sensationally confessed that he admired Peter Obi, but never admitted endorsing his candidacy, contrary to the soaring notion on social media.
Babangida, who disclosed that he and the former two-term Governor of Anambra State had been friends since his gubernatorial days in Anambra State, said some things impressed him about “the young man.”
“He was a young man, but he is passionate about development, passionate about our Nigerianness,” Babangida disclosed. “From then, we kept contact for a long time. We talk to each other and so on.
“So, it is only fair that when he decided to be the president or a candidate, he should come and let me know. That’s the essence of the relationship. It’s like ‘don’t read it in the papers, I am going to run.’ And whatever advice I have, I will give it to him based on my own experience. Hopefully, that will help him to mobilize all of you.”
Babangida denied the endorsement and allegation of he, Obasanjo, Abdulsalami, Gusau and Abdullahi were the unseen hands behind the Peter Obi candidacy, saying the group had been actively involved in Nigeria’s current shot at democracy right from its embryonic stage in 1998.
“I am hearing it now for the first time from you,” he told the two media executives. “Somebody sent me what Sowore said. That Obasanjo, Abdulsalami, Aliyu Gusau, Ango Abdullahi and myself are promoting Peter Obi. But I’m glad that the answer you said they gave Sowore was that he was jealous.”