Former presidential spokesman,
Reuben Abati, has spoken on the controversy surrounding the statement credited
to former military head of state, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) against President
Muhammadu Buhari.
In an article on Tuesday titled,
‘What exactly is Babangida saying?’, Abati expressed displeasure at the IBB’s
denial of the first letter that asked Buhari to resign.
He noted that the controversy,
the confusion, attended by seeming cowardice, that grew around the statement
was absolutely unnecessary, unfortunate and utterly avoidable.
Abati wrote: “Being a statesman
thus comes with responsibilities – the responsibility to speak with clarity and
conviction is one of these. With the confusion over what President Babangida
said or did not say about the state of the nation and the state of health of
our democracy, it is now obvious that he still has a lot to learn, despite his
experience and stature.
“Coming after the impactful and
unambiguous intervention by the Ota farmer, former President Olusegun Obasanjo,
calling for a change of direction and a reaffirmation of people power in
Nigerian politics, Babangida’s follow-up intervention, which could have
strengthened an emerging symphony of public thought, has now ended up as mere
spittle.
“Babangida must take
responsibility for what clearly comes across to me, as a lack of coherence and
organization in the management of his office after office. Statesmen should not
speak with both sides of the mouth. They should not play games with their views.
“They must not toy with public
emotions. I don’t now what to make right now, of what Babangida said or didn’t
say about our country and our nation. I am sure there are many others who are
just as bewildered, and who feel short-changed and are asking: What exactly is
Babangida saying?
“This Babangida statement didn’t
ask Buhari not to run, I mean not so expressly, but it said we should move
beyond the crossroads by voting for leadership that is inclusive, consultative,
interactive, accountable, competitive and competent.
“Whereas Obasanjo was direct,
this Babangida statement was full of innuendo and sarcasm. He went a step
further by raising issues such as campaign finance, community policing and new
paradigms. Like Obasanjo, he stressed the need to rebrand Nigeria and rebrand
politics, the power of the vote, and the value of security and inclusivity.
“Years after leaving office, he
has had enough time to make up his mind who he wants to be. It is therefore for
this reason that he owes us a second or third statement, stating clearly, where
he stands in the matter of Nigeria at this moment. Without that clarity, it
would have been better for Babangida to keep quiet, rather than to open his
mouth and cause confusion as to what exactly he is saying.
“Out of office, a political
leader or statesman does not necessarily have to speak through a spokesperson.
If he is big enough and his message is big enough, he should be able to speak
with his own voice and in his own voice.”
Abati further advised former Nigerian
leaders to speak up on the state of the country.
“We expect more statesmen to
speak up. When will Gowon, Shagari, Shonekan, Abdusalami Abubakar, Jonathan and
Danjuma speak up? Their silence is not golden in this instance. It amounts to
an abdication of responsibility. For a country that has done so much for them,
they cannot afford to sit on the fence,” he said.
DR ABATI WHAT DO YOU WANT GOWON TO SPEAK ABOUT? DOES HE KNOW WHAT TO SAY ON NATIONAL ISSUES? EXCEPT TO CASTIGATE OJUKWU AND IGBOS? FORGET GOWON AND HIS IGNORANCE. FOR YEARS THINGS ARE DETERIORATING IN NIGERIA HE REMAINED DEAF AND DUMB. FEAR? COWARDICE? IGNORANCE? PUSSY-FOOTING? FOLLOW-FOLLOW? NA WAO FOR THE OLD MAN. GIVE HIM A FREE REIGN TO TALK AND HE WILL LAUNCH HIS TRADE-MARK ATTACK AND LIES ON OJUKWU JUST BECAUSE THE LION IS DEAD. Jay 2, Abuja.
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