By Aideloje Ojo Minna, Kehinde Osasona, Abuja There is an air of controversy over a statement credited to former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, where he was quoted to have advised President Muhammadu Buhari against seeking a second term in 2019.
In the statement, believed to have been issued on his behalf by his longstanding spokesman, Kassim Afegbua, the former military leader noted that what Nigeria desired in 2019 was digital leadership, not analogue.
The statement is entitled ‘Towards a national rebirth.’ But the military leader in a counter said Afegbua’s statement was his personal opinion, saying he had an unfettered channel to the higher authorities than engaging in open correspondence.
The controversy is coming about two weeks after former President Olusegun Obasanjo, off ered similar advice to Buhari among others.
Afegbua’s statement
However, Afegbua insisted he had the mandate of the general to issue the statement, where, Babangida was quoted as saying that the nation is presently at the crossroads. “There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria is at a major crossroad at this moment in its history; the choices we are going to make as a nation regarding the leadership question of this country and the vision for our political, economic and religious future, will be largely determined by the nature or kind of change that we pursue, the kind of change that we need and the kind of change that we get.
“A lot depends on our roles both as followers and leaders in our political undertakings. As we proceed to find the right thesis that would resolve the leadership question, we must bear in mind a formula that could engender national development and the undiluted commitment of our leaders to a resurgence of the moral and ethical foundations that brought us to where we are as a pluralistic and multi-ethnic society,” the spokesman said.
The statement further noted that the nation had “experimented with parliamentary and presidential systems of government amid military interregnum at various times” of its history. “We have made some progress, but not good enough to situate us on the pedestal we so desirously crave for.
It is little wonder therefore that we need to deliberately provoke systems and models that will put paid to this recycling leadership experimentation to embrace new generational leadership evolution with the essential attributes of responsive, responsible and proactive leadership configuration to confront the several challenges that we presently face.
“In 2019 and beyond, we should come to a national consensus that we need new breed leadership with requisite capacity to manage our diversities and jump-start a process of launching the country on the super highway of technology driven leadership in line with the dynamics of modern governance. It is short of saying enough of this analogue system. Let’s give way for digital leadership orientation with all the trappings of consultative, constructive, communicative, interactive and utility-driven approach where everyone has a role to play in the process of enthroning accountability and transparency in governance,” Afegbua further added.
The statement slammed the Buhari-led APC administration on its change mantra, saying it had not lived to its promises. “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, devolutionof 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.”
IBB counters
But in another statement titled ‘My Counsel to the nation’, also believed to have been signed by the former military president himself, General Babangida said Afegbua was on his own. Unlike Afegbua’s statement, Babangida lamented recent happenings and utterances by political gladiators, which he said were not in the interest of common man.
In what looks like a veiled consent to Obasanjo’s Coalition Movement, he described as welcome development the “clamour for re-alignment of governance in the country as we are approaching 2019 election year.” He, however, cautioned that only genuine agitations channelled through legislation and total supremacy of the constitution should be entertained.
IBB warned that, “any attempt outside this circle of democratic tenants is deceptive and divisive idea capable of plunging our political journey into disarray”. He implored the political class to play within the ambits of political norms and decorum to ameliorate the problems facing our society.
“It is worrisome that political events and civil unrest in many parts of the country, have raised many questions on the governance and unity. Indeed 2018 is inundated with seasons of literatures on the corporate existence of this country.
Many of such literatures have shown concerns of the corporate existence of Nigeria beyond 2019 general elections.” Recalling his message to this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Babangida specifically expressed the dire need for proactive measures to stop farmers/ herders clashes in the middle belt, cattle rustling, armed robbery, kidnapping, gangsterism and cultism, and called on security agencies to step up surveillance with more efforts on intelligence gathering for maximum success. While making case for a two party system of government, the former ruler argued that “our present political parties and their structures needed to have parameter pillars that will make them stronger with unique ideologies.
And Afegbua insists
In yet another statement debunking that from IBB and obtained by Blueprint, Afegbua said, “please this is to affirm that the earlier statement issued and signed by me on behalf of General IBB stands. We regret the mix-up in a rebuttal issued to contradict the statement. The statement stands.”
Spokesman risks arrest
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris, may have ordered Afegbua’s arrest for issuing ‘fake statement.’ Blueprint gathered that the former president’s media aide, has been directed to submit himself to the Force Headquarters within 24 hours or risk arrest.
