Former military President Ibrahim Babangida has spoken
on the controversy around the statement he issued about the 2019
elections.
In the statement well-circulated in the media on Sunday, the
retired military ruler, better known as IBB, asked Nigerians to
have patience with President Muhammadu Buhari till his tenure ends
in 2019.
He also harped on the need to have a new breed of
leaders.
But shortly after that statement signed on his behalf by Kassim
Afegbua, his spokesman, was made public, a counter-statement was
released.
The new statement denied some of the critical issues raised in
the previous one, saying IBB had “unfettered channel of
communication with the highest authorities”.
But in a chat with
THISDAY, the elder statesman said “original
statement still stands”.
The newspaper said when Babangida got informed that a
counter-statement had been issued, he instructed Afegbua to reach
out to media houses reaffirming the validity of the first
statement.
Babangida reportedly said the second statement was issued by
friends and had nothing to do with him.
However, the ex-president was said to have expressed
dissatisfaction with the way the statement he issued was
treated.
Nigerians reacted to the controversy in different ways.
Babanginda released the statement less than two weeks after
former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote a letter to Buhari
asking him not to contest in 2019.
Former military President Ibrahim Babangida has spoken
on the controversy around the statement he issued about the 2019
elections.
In the statement well-circulated in the media on Sunday, the
retired military ruler, better known as IBB, asked Nigerians to
have patience with President Muhammadu Buhari till his tenure ends
in 2019.
He also harped on the need to have a new breed of
leaders.
But shortly after that statement signed on his behalf by Kassim
Afegbua, his spokesman, was made public, a counter-statement was
released.
The new statement denied some of the critical issues raised in
the previous one, saying IBB had “unfettered channel of
communication with the highest authorities”.
But in a chat with
THISDAY, the elder statesman said “original
statement still stands”.
The newspaper said when Babangida got informed that a
counter-statement had been issued, he instructed Afegbua to reach
out to media houses reaffirming the validity of the first
statement.
Babangida reportedly said the second statement was issued by
friends and had nothing to do with him.
However, the ex-president was said to have expressed
dissatisfaction with the way the statement he issued was
treated.
Nigerians reacted to the controversy in different ways.
Babanginda released the statement less than two weeks after
former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote a letter to Buhari
asking him not to contest in 2019.