President Goodluck Jonathan, in denying that he had appealed to former dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, to withdraw from the 2011 presidential race, indicated that his horse whip for the Evil Genius would be to remind him of the callous annulment of June 12 elections 17 years ago with the popular theme: "Never Again, Babangida."
President Jonathan rebuked Babangida: “Since June 12, 1993, Nigerians have in successive elections become wiser. The next presidential elections, no matter who the candidates are, would sound a resonant Never Again!
“Never again shall the will of the Nigerian people be quashed underfoot by the vaunting ambitions of a few. This is what the President has promised Nigerians, and he is fully committed to delivering on this pledge.
Some national dailies had in their reports on Monday that Jonathan made the appeal at a recent meeting with Babangida. The reports also said the former miltary leader refused to accede to the President’s request. But the Presidency, in a statement by the the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, said the reports were “unfortunate and uncharitable.”
Although Niboro admitted that a meeting between Jonathan and Babangida took place, he explained that it (meeting) was one in a series of consultations the President has had and would continue to hold with Nigeria’s former leaders over the 2011 elections.
The statement reads, “Anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with the President knows he is not one who dissuades people from pursuing their personal ambitions.
“This is even more so when there is no purpose to be served by it, since the long suffering mass of the Nigerian people would decide who governs them in a free and fair election.
“It is, therefore, unfortunate that any self- respecting newspaper(s) should lend its pages to reporting a series of lies against the person and the institution of the presidency.
“These tales are unverified and sourced from openly interested parties. They are lies, pure and simple. The fact is that President Jonathan has been meeting different leaders on different occasions and platforms.
“Some have come to inform him of their intention to run for the presidency. Others he has met with as a matter of courtesy being a sitting President.
“He has met former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar; he has met Babangida; he has met Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and will meet him again soon.
“He has met with a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; another former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari; a former Vice- President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, and another former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.
“He will meet with even more leaders and political actors as the race to 2011 heats up. It is extremely uncharitable for anyone to spin these meetings in such negative lights, and attempt to force the President into retreat from these well- thought out engagements with political leaders of all hue and disposition in the interest of the country.
“We think it is time to put an end to this long line of false stories and verify what is served to the general public.”
