Abuja — Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant and former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has foreclosed stepping down for President Goodluck Jonathan, insisting that '2011 belongs to God.'
Babangida, who was at the national secretariat of the party to commiserate with the leadership of the party over the fire incident that razed the conference room of the secretariat, said that he was fully prepared to vie for the parties ticket.
While admitting that he met with President Goodluck Jonathan, the former military president accompanied by members of his campaign committee, explained that, 'of course, we discussed Nigeria'.
His words; "Of course, we discussed Nigeria. But not what you guys have been insinuating. So, whenever you find two heads of state, they talk about this country: how can we improve this country.
"2011 belongs to God and I am fully prepared. The negative comments about me I do appreciate. I will be a fool if I accept that everybody loves me. But there are others who do. That's life."
Asked to comment on his reported meeting with President Jonathan, the presidential aspirant said; " Unknown to most of you, there is a very robust relationship between the family of President Jonathan and the family of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. His wife has been very kind. She asks after my children all the time and I appreciate that.
"I don't run away from my friends and my brothers. The President's wife has taken a lot of interest in my children and I used the opportunity to convey my appreciation to his wife for her concern.
Babangida is scheduled to formally declare for the presidential contest cum flagging off of his campaign on September 15, in Abuja.
Receiving the presidential aspirant, the national chairman of the PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, who led his guests to inspect the fire incident said that the NWC members were elated by the visit, which came on the heels of that of President Jonathan, who was at the secretariat last Sunday.
"We are very happy to receive our very revered leader, former president of Nigeria who is visiting us on a different capacity as one of the front runners in our party for the ticket of the PDP in the forthcoming presidential election and we received him as a member of our party who has come to commiserate with us on the unfortunate fire incident in our secretariat", Nwodo said.
IBB who had arrived the party secretariat at exactly 11.55 AM in a black jeep marked DL 708 ABJ, and dressed in white Agbada had remarked in the Visitors Book thus: 'Courtesy visit to the chairman of PDP to sympathise with him over the fire incident'.
Also, elder statesman and former governor of Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar led a delegation of politicians from Plateau State to the PDP national headquarters to commiserate with the party leadership.
Lar described the incident as unfortunate and thanked God that no life was lost in the inferno.
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There is no controversy in the statement that 2011 and everything concerning Nigeria's political transition - from emergence of parties' flagbearers to conduct of elections, etcetera are under the control of the Almighty God. He is the Only Wise.
Notwithstanding, majority of the Nigerian citizens cannot tolerate the gut of IBB as conveyed in his "steppping aside" declaration on 26 August 1993 as a self-styled military President, not to talk of assimmilating his current rhetorics as part of his ambition to return to Aso Rock. Ibrahim Bababngida left no legacy during his 8-year rule that Nigerians can be proud of. Rather, his antecedents in office are disastrous for the nation's economy and the spill over is being felt till date.
IBB should be told that the nation does not need his blood as the supreme sacrifice for the unity of the country. At best, he should publicly apologise to the generality of Nigerians for his 8-year misrule, implication in the suspicious circumstance of Dele giwa's death, public insult of ignoring invitation to Oputa Panel, shattering their dreams to early return to smooth democracy in 1993 but which was later realised in 1999.
Once beaten, twice shy, Nigerians cannot toy with their future again to allow the Evil Genius to maradonically assume power in Aso rock. Consequently, IBB should go and rest in his family home and forget the futile chasing of a lost ambition to be Nigeria's President in 2011.
Why do you people like to write soft words so that people can praise you for minding your language. Babangida is a vagabond and a murderer. I wish to tell you respondents that soft hand will not stop an evil hell raiser like IBB. lets desist from the hog wash of appealing to an adamant captain who is determined to sink with his ship. All we should just do is assist him in his suicide mission. A stubborn fly will always go into the grave with the dead body. The Uk you are residing in is that how people behave in politics destroy for 8 years and try to come back to complete unfinished business? The cult man IBB has used many nigerian blood to stay in power in his previous eight years. No doubt this time it will be blood bath and perpetuation of himself in power with machineries being put in place for his bastard son to take over. Sounds like a fiction eh? Give it a deep thought and their under, lays the the truth.
If IBB's hope is on those who he thinks loves him, then he must equally be fooling himself as majority of them, if not all, loves not him but the money he accummulated during his era as the military junta. Your weapon should have been what you have to offer the Nation Nigeria in returning to power, not in mentioning the sections of those who loves you. This time around, Nigerian youths should work to allow votes count in the elections. We should vote for credible candidates and defend our votes.
This lunatic of a person name Babangida should stop playing games again with God's name and that of the People of this Nation.What is it about him he wants this Country to know of him that may be different from his past criminal reputations of the 1990s.There is nothing really special about this military junta that every child born in the 90s does not know of this crying baby ,but a fellow who made the lifes of their parents hell and in secure during those Babangida 8years of National torture,brutality,economic strangulations and cancellation of the national elections of June 12,1993.It is against this backdrop, that the Nigerian People should not and must not give him even the slightest chance of being nominated by any Political Party in Nigeria.Nigerians are getting tired of hearing this devilish name and wishes he ceases terrorising the people of this Nation by his guffy attempt to be president of what Country?"desert island."yes- Nigeria of course not.He did not use his young brain to lead the Country judiciously when he overthrow the Government of another military Northern junta of Buhari not to talk of now his days are #d as a result of age and mental health associated alzheimer's disease which he has been covering from the Nigerian People , intends to make it known as soon as he becomes President so that he can spend the Nigerian money in Saudi Arabia as late President Yaradua. Who could forget how Yaradua threw this Country into turmoil during his terminal ilment which he,family and Party coveredup untill he became the Northern PDP anointed imposed President?.Nigerians can not let this type of kangarro coverup again.The Northerners are good at coverups and corruptions thats their life blood.
Freespeech comment that "The Northerners are good at coverups and corruptions thats their life blood" leaves aside the heart of the problem. I think our problem is to get credible leaders that have genuine love for Nigeria and Nigerians. Such can come from any part of the country and we should be united in looking for such people. Obasango that singlehandedly brought Yar Adua as president in your opinion is holier? The question is personalities not where one comes from.
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