Known faces within the biological and political family of the deceased Lamidi Adedibu, acclaimed ‘strongman of Ibadan politics’, dominated the crowd that flagged off the campaign for the presidential ambition of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), a former military ruler of Nigeria.
Held at the KS Motel, Ibadan, Saturday evening, the event was to formally inaugurate the state and local government executive committees for the IBB Presidential Campaign Organisation.
Speakers at the event took turns to eulogise the self-styled ‘military president’ who is roundly criticized for annulling the June 12, 1993, presidential election, generally acknowledged as the freest and fairest election in the nation’s political history, won by late businessman, Moshood Abiola.Among the notable faces at the occasion were Bose Adedibu, youngest wife of the late Adedibu; Azeem Gbolarumi, the erstwhile Oyo State deputy governor, during Adebayo Alao-Akala’s 11-month illegal stint as the state governor, and several others who loomed large in the state’s politics during the lifetime of their mentor.
They all came to garner support for the self-acclaimed evil genius in his bid to return to the Aso Rock Villa next year.
Gbolarumi, in his speech, said their agitation for Babangida’s return stemmed from the fact that Nigeria needs an energetic and charismatic leader to ship her out of her current crises.
“Nigeria deserves a transformative leader with focus, unquestionable patriotism, charisma, and resolve borne of experience that is honed on previous interface with nation building. We are convinced that all these qualities are embodied in the man Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB),” he said.
Speaking in defence of his ‘product’, in respect of many unanswered questions about his eight-year rule as Nigeria’s Head of State, Mr Gbolarumi summed all the alleged atrocities into six, as he struggled to find explanations and possible answers to each of them.
Six defensive rhetorics
The six, he said, are the death of Dele Giwa, refusal to appear at the Oputa panel, court action against publication of the panel report for public consumption, excess crude oil fund between 1988 and 1992, adoption of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and enrolment of Nigeria as a member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in 1986.
On the death of Dele Giwa, former Editor-In-Chief of Newswatch magazine, Mr Gbolarumi said rather than calling Babangida to question about the killing of the renowned journalist, Nigerians should better ask: “What did any other person know about the murder, and what has prevented such knowledge from gaining access to the public place?” Also, according to him, rather than bother Babangida on why he refused to attend the Oputa panel where he was invited to come and provide answers to some national allegations levelled against him, “we should be interested on how, not why”.
While holding brief for Babangida on the question of the excess crude oil account of 1988 to 1992, Mr Gbolarumi said Nigerians should stop seeing the man as super-human, saying the other party identified with the matter (the then CBN governors) should rather be asked about the money, not Babangida himself.
