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IBB READY TO SAY SORRY
By Our reporter
Thursday July 29, 2004
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IBB
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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As the race for the nation
s number one position in 2007 becomes more pulsating, former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida
(retd) has agreed to apologise to the nation for raping democracy through annulment of the June 12 , 1993 presidential
election won by Bashorun MKO Abiola.
Barely 24 hours after Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, asked him to apologise to Nigerians for annulling
the June 12, 1993 presidential election, former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, is set to eat the humble
pie.
Daily Sun learnt authoritatively that Babangida will apologise for voiding the 1993 polls won by Bashorun M.K.O
Abiola shortly before he throws his hat into the ring for the nation
s number one position in 2007.
On Tuesday in Kaduna, Prof. Soyinka had counselled the former military president thus: "I did read the interview
of IBB where he was playing around with the word
responsibility.
IBB has to apologise if he wants to start on a clean slate. He must apologise to this nation. In fact, for many,
for a number of things. But especially for thwarting the democratic wishes of the nation.
"The result of the June 12 (election) was not the result of one section alone. It was a national election.
So, this was an assault on our democratic aspirations."
The Babangida camp, Daily Sun learnt, is planning to cash in on the nature of Nigerians, which easily forgives
and forgets once remorse is shown, a fact also alluded to by Soyinka: "This (apology) would be the beginning,
an attempt to wipe the democratic slate. Nigerians are very accommodating people. After that he would then start
to present his credentials like a candidate, like a new applicant."
Daily Sun gathered that IBB
s loyalists have convinced him to first apologise to the two leading pan-Yoruba groups, Afenifere, and Yoruba Council
of Elders (YCE), after which he would extend the penitence to the generality of Nigerians.
Since he cancelled what was widely accepted as the nation
s freest and fairest polls after Abiola was coasting home to victory, and which led to his leaving power in ignominy,
Gen. Babangida had refused to accept his error and apologise. He had always merely stressed that he accepted responsibility
for his actions.
In a recent interview with Saturday Sun, Babangida had been pointedly asked why he refused to apologise to the
nation. And he said: "I have also told Nigerians that look, I accept full responsibility. You should see the
event beyond a narrow word
sorry.
Nigerians should be able also to put me in context to say okay, supposing I was him this thing happened to, what
could I have done? It is bigger, it is a bigger thing to accept responsibility."
Towards tendering the big apology, Babangida, it was learnt, has raised a number of reputable people, particularly
from the South-West, to soften the ground for him by preparing the hearts of the people subtly towards forgiveness,
once the apology is made.
Gen. Sani Abacha, who emerged as head of state after he shoved aside the lame-duck Interim National Government
set up by Babangida while retreating in August, 1993, had clamped Abiola in jail after the latter declared himself
president in June 1994. Abiola eventually died in military detention on July 7, 1998.
The nation, particularly the South-West, has not forgiven Babangida for the evil he foisted on the nation through
the annulment and Abacha
s eventual emergence, as he chastised the nation with scorpions for almost five years.
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