Former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida has strongly refuted claims that he endorses military rule over democratic governance.
In a statement released by his media office and signed by Mahmud Abdullahi in Minna, on Sunday, Babangida described his commitment to democratic principles as ‘unwavering’ and urged Nigerians to support and ensure the success of democracy.
The statement specifically addressed a post from a parody account on X (formerly Twitter) with the handle @General_Ibbro, which falsely attributed to Babangida an endorsement of the virtues of military rule over democracy.
“This dubious account carries our principal’s picture and name and the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for added effect but it does not belong to him nor does the former President sanction any post appearing there,” the statement clarified.
Babangida’s media office highlighted that this is not the first instance of misinformation from the parody account.
“In the past and more famously during the presidential elections last year, it posted a blatant falsehood that the former President had endorsed a particular presidential candidate and his party, thereby causing public confusion and some embarrassment to the Elder Statesman,” the statement read.
The recent false statement claimed that Babangida believed Nigeria had its best years under military rule and that democracy had worsened the nation’s condition.
Babangida’s office firmly denied this, stating, “We want to state unequivocally that neither the Twitter or X account which is essentially a parody or pretend account, nor the statement made therein ever belonged to the retired General.”
For clarity, the statement reiterated Babangida’s belief in the resilience and necessity of democracy in Nigeria.
“General Babangida (retd.) believes that Nigeria’s democracy is resilient and has come to stay and that we must do everything we can to safeguard the process,” it stated.
Acknowledging the current challenges facing the nation, Babangida expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to overcome them through democratic means.
“The solution to our problems as he had said previously, is ‘more’ democracy, not less,” the statement emphasized.
Babangida also commended the Nigerian military’s support for democratic governance since 1999, marking the longest period of civilian administration in Nigeria since independence.
“General Babangida truly believes that the era of military intervention in Nigeria’s politics is long gone and he has said how proud he is that the Nigerian military has stood firmly behind multiple democratic governments in this country since 1999,” the statement noted.
The statement says the posts of the parody account have repeatedly undermined democracy and spread misinformation.
“The user of this unfortunate parody account… has serially chosen to use the account to undermine democracy and spread stories capable of causing animosity,” it stated.
Despite attempts to have the account removed, Babangida’s office noted the challenges in getting it sanctioned by the overseers of X.
As a result, the general public is advised to disregard any posts from the account claiming to represent Babangida’s opinions.
“We are again obliged to advise the general public to ignore any post from this account that purportedly claims to represent my opinion,” General Babangida declared.
The statement also urged media practitioners and social media users to exercise discernment and verify information before sharing messages attributed to Babangida on any platform.
Born on August 17, 1941, in Minna, Babangida, served as the military President of Nigeria from August 27, 1985, to August 27, 1993.
He came to power through a military coup that ousted then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
He initiated Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) aimed at revamping Nigeria’s economy, though these policies were controversial and led to significant public discontent.
He promised and worked towards a return to civilian rule, leading to the organization of elections.
However, his government is criticised for the annulment of the 1993 presidential elections, which were widely believed to have been won by Moshood Abiola.
The annulment led to widespread unrest and is a significant event in Nigerian political history.
