Maverick politician, Mr. Godwin Daboh, has called on military kingpin, Ibrahim Babangida, to withdraw from contesting for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential ticket “so as to avoid being disgraced at the party’s presidential primary.”
Daboh, who is Deputy Chairman of a group called Move Nigeria Project, spoke to newsmen in Abuja where he said his group had gone round the country and that the response gathered was not favourably to Babangida contesting the 2011 presidential election.
Apart from Dabor, others present at the briefing included the National Coordinator of the group, Malam Abdullahi Mabirgi and the National Secretary, Mrs. Janet Suleiman.Daboh said that the former military president would be making the biggest mistake of his life if he thought the sympathy Nigerians showed to him when he lost his wife, Maryam, amounts to acceptability.
“With what happened in Kaduna on Thursday where members of the Northern Political Forum took a decision to support President Goodluck Jonathan, it is now obvious that Jonathan is going to become the next democratically elected president of Nigeria come 2011.
“And one thing that Babangida should know, which I believe he is aware of, is that he knows that those who are in control of government machineries usually win election in this country.
“And from what happened on Thursday, it is now obvious that Jonathan is in control and he is going to win the next election. The leaders of the North that gathered in Kaduna showed clearly that he is going to win the next election.”
“Because of this, I am making the last appeal to Babangida to step down now. It is not too late for him to do that; so that you don’t ridicule yourself; you don’t demystify yourself.
“The demystification of Babangida will affect a whole generation of Nigerians. So, I am making this final appeal to him and Buhari as well should not go into the next election because the two of them are going to lose.
“There is a generational change in Nigeria . Jonathan is the continuation of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua mandate, which was giving to both of them in 2003.
“President Jonathan is continuing with that mandate. I want to appeal to Babangida, who I leant had bought about 1000 cars, to realise that cars don’t win elections.
“The fact is that Nigerians have decided to have a change; to have a complete break from the past and have a new leadership. We have gone to many states in this country in the last 30 days and people are saying they are going to vote for Jonathan.
“Out of 36 states, if 26 are already committed to Jonathan, how many states are left for Babangida? We met with the governors and stakeholders and all of them said they were going to support Jonathan.
‘Cars will not win election for Babangida. What wins election is the people’s believe that you can deliver. It my final appeal to him. If he doesn’t withdraw now, he is going to be shocked and disgraced by majority of Nigerians who have elected to support Jonathan.
“The forces against him are the forces of all Nigerians that want a change. The love people showed to him when he lost his wife should not be construed to me acceptability.
“That was mere sympathy which cannot be adjudged to mean acceptability. The will of Nigerians is that Jonathan should be the next President.”
