Ex-Military president denies advice to Buhari not to re-contest

Retired General

Babangida denied asking Nigerians not to vote for President Buhari in 2019 saying the statement is not only untrue, it is in its entirety, but an inaccurate representation of his view of the state of Nigeria.

The brief denial reads: "My attention has been drawn to a report making rounds especially online in which I was quoted as advising Nigerians not to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in the coming 2019 election.

Not only is the said statement untrue, it is in its entirety, an inaccurate representation of my view of the state of our dear Nation."

ALSO READ: Babangida says Buhari should not re-contest in 2019

I know how to reach Buhari if need be - Babangida

Continuing, Babangida said if he needs to communicate with President Buhari he knows the right channel to go through as a former President.

"As a former President and an elder statesman, I have existing communication channels through which I reach out to President Muhammadu Buhari on topical issues of national importance, should there be the need so to do.

The media, both online or mainstream and indeed the unsuspecting public are advised to disregard such false reports," he said.

Babangida authorised the statement - Afegbua

Babangida's denial of the statement allegedly approved by him and released by his spokesman, Kassim Afegbua, has taken a new twist.

Afegbua insisted that the statement as authorised by Babangida stands when he appeared on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels TV on Sunday, February 4, 2018.

“I have been doing this job for about 14 years now. And I have never issued a statement on behalf of the former head of state and he gave a rebuttal. I got authorisation and commitment from him before I issued the statement. It has been in process,” he said.

ALSO READ: Read full text of Babangida's advice to Buhari

Afegbua further said: “He has called me to say that the statement still stands.

“Of course, you know IBB is for everyone. People want to love him more than he loves himself. People want to appreciate him more than he appreciates himself. People want to play the role of IBB.

“So when the statement was released, some of his friends saw it and they felt we were trying to put the former president on a collision course with the president. So, they went and did a statement to deny that.

“But I have since spoken to him; he called me and said, that statement stands. The kernel of that statement should inform public discourse and not necessarily people personalising it as if it were to be against the sitting president.

“So, the statement stands and I have since communicated to all the media houses that they should respect that statement as coming from IBB. It did not emanate from my head. We sat down, we discussed and articulated them,” he said.

Babangida overthrew Buhari in 1985

In 1985, retired General Babangida was the Chief of Army Staff and a member of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) under the administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari.

However, the ex-military president would later overthrow Buhari's regime on August 27, 1985 in a military coup that relied on mid-level officers that Babangida had strategically positioned over the years.