On the issue of June 12, General Ibrahim Babangida's only new defence was that he cancelled the election rather than annulled it. Babangida's mischeavous prank in the face of serious allegations is apparently failing. The case against him is moving from joke to reality, as issues that would derail his ambition are building up, Tell reports.
Former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, faces hurdles created by his past actions in the race for president.
It was not a political rally. But it was not out of character for supporters of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, retired general and former head of state, to turn such an event to a jamboree. So, when he went to pick up his nomination form at the national secretariat of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, it was with some drama. That did not only create some political effect, it had also become, for the Babangida campaign group, a political capital. They see the crowd at the secretariat as an indication that the general is the preferred candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. Such a candidate, they reason, will be too tempting for the PDP to joke with. What is more, Babangida had the longest period of consultation with leaders of the party, led by Ahmadu Ali, chairman, before leaving the secretariat.
That, too, they argued, shows the direction of the allegiance of the party leaders as far as the battle for the ticket of the PDP is concerned. But findings show that that confidence may be misplaced. The PDP leadership appears jittery that a ticket for Babangida may jeopardise the chances of the party at the polls. The magazine learnt that some of those urging the general on within the PDP may be acting the script of some of its leaders to deflate the ego of the aspirant. A source said leaders of the party were not deceived by the crowd at the secretariat that day. He said, “Apart from the mobilisation done by his campaign groups, most people were there because the visit had been widely publicised; also, there were people who went there to satisfy their curiosity.” Even then, behind that celebration is the concern that the authorities in the party may lay an ambush for the general. In this case, the guidelines for the party primary could come in handy. Part of the credentials expected of aspirants include credibility, tolerance, integrity, patriotism and knowledge of the political, economic and social terrain of the country. The convention committee to be raised by the party determines whether or not the aspirant possesses these qualities. Though the guidelines make provisions for appeal, the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party has the final say on all matters concerning the award of party ticket to candidates. Section 35(3) of the guidelines says, “The decisions of the National executive Committee on all election matters shall be binding on all aspirants”.
What that means is that aggrieved aspirants who are not satisfied with the decision of the Appeal Committee and NEC, acting on the advice of the National Working Committee, NWC, cannot go to court. Even, if at the level of NWC it was decided that the name of one aspirant should be substituted for another, that decision cannot be challenged. So, should party authorities decide to stop Babangida, they could use any of the abstract conditions to stop him. But the general does not entertain any fear that he may not be allowed to contest the primary. According to him, the guidelines were made to suit the realisation of his ambition on the platform of the PDP.
That confidence will be put to test before the party goes to primary on December 16. By that time, it will be clear if those who hammer on his refusal to appear before the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission, HRVIC, were right in concluding that such an action causes Babangida a credibility problem. Moshood Erubami, former president of the Campaign for Democracy, CD, is one of those who believe that the general lacks credibility. He said, “What will determine the success of his ambition is his antecedents, particularly, his incapacity to conform with modern-day ethical demands of governance”. He said Nigerians would not forget “the atrocities he committed (with impunity) in his eight years of misrule in the country”.
Erubami said Babangida raised corruption to statecraft, ran down the economy and watched as the state of insecurity grew and assassination became prevalent. The activist said if Babangida did not appreciate that stepping aside in 1993 saved him a lot of trouble, he could put Nigerians to test by going to the polls. Not a few people felt that the former military president, by his decision to run for president, was testing the will of Nigerians.
But why would the people stand against someone who could be said to have a fairly good knowledge of the Nigerian climate? The reason, perhaps, is because his opponents believe that Babangida has hanging on his neck, some unresolved and sensitive political and economic issues for which Nigerians are passionate. These include the yet unsolved death by parcel bomb of Dele Giwa, founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine, the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election and the $12 billion oil windfall which is said to be yet unaccounted for.
The United Action for Democracy, UAD, a coalition of pro-democracy groups, said the general is one of those who plunged the country into economic crisis. People who blame Babangida for Nigeria’s economic downturn cite the report of the Pius Okigbo panel which probed the oil windfall. The panel condemned his administration for spending the money on frivolous projects. But the general said the report was mere shadow-chasing. But the torrent of allegations may have been for him a source of concern too. After The Punch newspapers got the report, the general told the paper: “I prepared my mind. I knew what everybody (would) be talking about. Now, they have added Vatsa into the vocabulary of atrocities committed by IBB. So, it's Vatsa, the $12.4 billion oil windfall they say I stole, Dele Giwa, June 12 and the institutionalisation of corruption. I hope Nigerians will believe (and I believe they will) when we eventually tell them the truth”.
It will be a difficult task for him. No sooner had he picked the form to enter the presidential race than the horns of opposition stood erect. Afenifere, pan-Yoruba socio-political group, could not believe that Babangida would venture to present himself for public office in Nigeria again. Yinka Odumakin, publicity secretary of the group, said, “He is trying to take us for a ride”. Afenifere’s stand against Babangida takes root in the June 12 saga and the problems of corruption. Like most political groups, Afenifere believes that the general took Nigeria on a bumpy ride through the inconclusive transition programme, wasting money in the process.
Hafsat Abiola-Costello, daughter of Moshood Abiola, winner of the June 12 election, said the atrocities committed by the general in office would stand as strong impediments to his ambition. She has every reason to be angry with Babangida, who was a friend of her father. Sani Abacha, general and Babangida’s colleague who took over from the lame duck Interim National Government, ING, he left behind, detained Abiola. The politician died in detention in controversial circumstances one month after Abacha died in 1998. Hafsat’s mother, Kudirat Abiola, was killed by people suspected to be agents of the Abacha junta.
She is not a lone voice in this direction. Safiya Vatsa, widow of Mamman Vatsa, major-general, killed for an alleged coup plot in 1986, is also crying for justice. “He has created a lot of problems for Nigeria. Enough is enough”, said Safiya of Babangida who was the best man at her wedding with Vatsa. She dared Babangida to make public any document he claims to have on her husband’s case. She said, “I know Babangida so much and very well. He knows I know him very well”. The former head of state had said, “There are lots of things I know and since he is dead, I believe it will be unfair to talk about him”. The general, who said that, even, his wife, Mariam, sent a note of plea to him while Vatsa’s case was being discussed, claimed that he had to bow to superior argument from colleagues based on the report of the investigative panel. One thing the civil society groups hold against him is his insistence that the annulment of June 12 election was not a wrong decision.
Apart from the act putting an abrupt end to the result of Nigeria’s freest and fairest election, it caused a lot of deaths and quake in the economy. But the best that Babangida had said of it is that he did not annul the election, he merely cancelled it. That is seen as an attempt to reduce what was a national disaster to a puerile joke.
Gani Fawehinmi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, believes that Babangida cannot clear the hurdles created by his past actions to qualify for election. The HRVIC had recommended that former heads of state who ignored its invitation should be seen to have bidden farewell to another opportunity to aspire for public office. Babangida was one of them. The commission’s report may not be law, but it borders on credibility and integrity. Is this the joker that the party may want to use? That will become clear in less than one month.
Report URL: http://www.tellng.com/news/articles/061121-2/news/Sprep_ibbrace.html
