This was even as IBB gave reasons why former President Olusegun Obasanjo was brought back to rule Nigeria in 1999.
General Babangida stated this when he appeared on Liberty Radio’s ‘Guest of the Week’ in Kaduna yesterday saying that, he has a right to vote any candidate of his choice as a Nigerian.
According to Babangida, “I am a firm believer of two party system and I also studied the emergence of political parties in this country immediately after independence and it shows that this country will be heading for a two party system; you heard about the national alliance parties coming from the North aligning with those from the South, NEPU aligning with NCNC and so it started during Shehu Shagari time.
“So when we came, the two party systems democratically, you have to have a choice, democratically you can vote without belonging to a political party. You vote for the quality of the man that you want to represent you; so it is not anything new because I believe in two parties and I see signs of the possible emergence of two a party system. I welcome it; it is good for the polity, it is good also for the unity of this country”, he said.
He added: “when we were doing it in 1989, some of you wrote us in the media that, no it is going to be one Christian party, one Muslim party, then you say it is going to be one northern and one southern party and it did not work and everybody blended.
“The chairman of NRC was Chief Tom Ikimi, the chairman of SDP was Kingibe and everybody was in one or the other; you just have to have an accommodation”, he noted.
On whom to vote for in 2015, IBB said, “first of all we have a new party in formation; Nigerians have a new party in formation, they are trying to get their acts together, they are trying to sell a programme for us the public, so that they can use that programme to take power.
“As for me as an ordinary citizen, I have the right to look at what they are offering this country and based on my knowledge of what I believe is good for this country, whoever offers something similar to that or near to that, I have the right, the constitution allows me just to go to the polling station and drop my ballot and say I like this”, said.
Speaking further, the former Head of State stressed: “I will belong to those who will chose a credible candidate, a candidate that can lead this country and it is not difficult to find out of 170 million people; there must be a candidate that is what the constitution provides. If the party is silly and chooses the wrong candidate, the ordinary person is not silly. He knows this man cannot lead him so he doesn’t vote for him. If he chooses a wrong candidate, he stands the chance of losing”.
He continued: “I have enough time to think and I am thinking and they will be anxious to come and see me; they will visit me or any other person. This is what I intend to do. We are talking about a new and emergent scenario, so I will wait and see”.
When asked whether he has intention of leaving the PDP, IBB said, “I, as one of the founding fathers of the party, I cannot disown what I founded”.
Also speaking on the why he pioneered the return of Obasanjo to rule Nigeria again in 1999, IBB said the need to save Nigeria from looming crisis gave rise to bringing back Obasanjo.
According to him: “we have to simplify a lot of things without going back to what happened before; the emergence of Obasanjo came about as a result of what happened in the country, the country was in a very serious crisis and we have to find the solution to these problems and therefore we needed a leader known in the country, we did not believe in foisting somebody who is not known; so, we looked for a man who has been involved in the affairs of this country, who held positions either in the military or in the cabinet and who has certain beliefs about Nigeria. Now, all of us that were trained as armed forces, there is one belief that you cannot take away from us; we believe in this country because this is part of our training. We fought for this country, so when you have a situation like that, you need a leader that has all these attributes and quite frankly, he quickly came to mind.
“Remember those days, the fight is against the North’s perpetuation. But here, we have one who knows the North, knows the South and who fought a war, who believes in Nigeria and he says it. So, people with that type of connection the people recognized you, and this is what we did, in the case of Obasanjo.
“What he did is between him and the Nigerian people but his emergence saves a lot of problem in Nigeria.
“At least, we did not disintegrate because we believe he can go to war again, to keep this country”, he stressed.
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