By Musa Simon Reef & Mohammed Isa

Over 17 years after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, presumably won by business mongul, late Chief MKO Abiola, a close associate of the late politician, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola Alao, has absolved the former military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), of guilt over the annulment.
Arisekola Alao, who is also a close associate of Babangida, at a press conference in Ibadan, which was reported by the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), monitored yesterday in Abuja, laid the entire blame on some members of the then Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), whom he accused of threatening Babangida’s life.
Arisekola Alao revealed that besides Babangida, AFRC members had threatened to kill both Abiola if the final results of the election were declared.
He said the threat by the military top brass left IBB with no option than to halt the announcement of the pending results and the subsequent annulment of the entire election.
“Wallahi Tallahi, Billahillazi la’ila ha illahuwa, and we are in the month of Ramadan, that is what happened at that time. It was after the election that members of the Armed Forces Ruling Council threatened to kill both MKO Abiola and IBB if he insisted on releasing the result of the election. They threatened to kill both IBB and Abiola,” he recalled.
According to him, Babangida had earlier advised Abiola not contest the election because of his poor health condition.
Arisekola Alao quoted the former military leader of having warned Abiola that his involvement with politics would negatively affect the running of his business.
IBB, who has always taken full responsibility of the annulment of June 12 election, has repeatedly described the annulment as a collective decision.
Meanwhile, the Babangida Presidential Campaign Organisation yesterday called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo to behave as a true leader and maintain his neutrality over who emerges as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2011 polls.
The advice was contained in a press statement signed by the campaign organisation’s Director of Media and Communications, Prince Kassim Afegbua.
The statement reads in part: “The campaign team found it extremely incomprehensible to decipher reasons behind the endorsement of a presidential dream that has not been formally declared by the President.
“Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of our great party, has repeatedly said that he and other party chieftains would maintain their neutrality to all aspirants but would exercise their rights to vote at the primaries for an aspirant of their choice. The recent reported endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan, who has not declared his intention to run, defeats the earlier neutrality position of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on choice of aspirants.
“As one of the leaders of the party, a former President and elder statesman, we expect that his word should be his bond. We will not be drawn into any argument with those who easily suspect the political moves of former President Obasanjo, but we insist that a true leader should stand by his word,” it said.
The IBB campaign team also faulted a prediction that 18 states are already backing Jonathan, while only 12 are supporting the former military president.
The statement reads further: “The reported endorsement of the undeclared intention of President Goodluck Jonathan by the South-West PDP and non-PDP members does not reflect the actual permutations on ground. The South-West is no doubt a politically sophisticated and enlightened zone comprising distinguished Nigerians who are well familiar and at home with the political dynamics of the country.
“It is, therefore, unlikely that such distinguished, enlightened, civilised and politically-conscious people would reportedly concede to the endorsement of an aspirant that has neither declared nor made public his intentions. We suspect that someone is trying to be smart by half.”
Faulting a report that claimed Jonathan was ahead of IBB with six states, the IBB campaign team said such figures were not only disputable but unrealistic, “in view of the fact that most incumbent state governors, have not declared their positions.”
It added: “It is therefore too early in the day for any political observer to draw conclusions on that basis particularly on a delegate election that is about to commence except that the public is being made to understand that the forthcoming elections, despite repeated assurances of credibility, would go the way of other previous elections. We believe very strongly that former President, General Ibrahim Babangida remains a major contender thus far amongst those who have boldly declared their intentions under the platform of our dear party, the PDP. We wish to reassure our overwhelming supporters and followers nationwide to be steadfast and committed in their usual spirit and love for our aspirant; General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.”

Once Arisekola comes out to support IBB we all know that THIEVES ARE looking back to come into business. The Lord will make them to fail. all enemies of Nigeria.

@ferari90
Pls what's your relationship with ibb? why are you so concerned in explaining why he (babangida) cancelled the june 12 election? how much is babangida paying you to do this!?

ferari90:

By Musa Simon Reef & Mohammed Isa

Over 17 years after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, presumably won by business mongul, late Chief MKO Abiola, a close associate of the late politician, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola Alao, has absolved the former military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), of guilt over the annulment.
Arisekola Alao, who is also a close associate of Babangida, at a press conference in Ibadan, which was reported by the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), monitored yesterday in Abuja, laid the entire blame on some members of the then Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), whom he accused of threatening Babangida’s life.
Arisekola Alao revealed that besides Babangida, AFRC members had threatened to kill both Abiola if the final results of the election were declared.
He said the threat by the military top brass left IBB with no option than to halt the announcement of the pending results and the subsequent annulment of the entire election.
“Wallahi Tallahi, Billahillazi la’ila ha illahuwa, and we are in the month of Ramadan, that is what happened at that time. It was after the election that members of the Armed Forces Ruling Council threatened to kill both MKO Abiola and IBB if he insisted on releasing the result of the election. They threatened to kill both IBB and Abiola,” he recalled.
According to him, Babangida had earlier advised Abiola not contest the election because of his poor health condition.
Arisekola Alao quoted the former military leader of having warned Abiola that his involvement with politics would negatively affect the running of his business.
IBB, who has always taken full responsibility of the annulment of June 12 election, has repeatedly described the annulment as a collective decision.
Meanwhile, the Babangida Presidential Campaign Organisation yesterday called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo to behave as a true leader and maintain his neutrality over who emerges as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2011 polls.
The advice was contained in a press statement signed by the campaign organisation’s Director of Media and Communications, Prince Kassim Afegbua.
The statement reads in part: “The campaign team found it extremely incomprehensible to decipher reasons behind the endorsement of a presidential dream that has not been formally declared by the President.
“Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of our great party, has repeatedly said that he and other party chieftains would maintain their neutrality to all aspirants but would exercise their rights to vote at the primaries for an aspirant of their choice. The recent reported endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan, who has not declared his intention to run, defeats the earlier neutrality position of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on choice of aspirants.
“As one of the leaders of the party, a former President and elder statesman, we expect that his word should be his bond. We will not be drawn into any argument with those who easily suspect the political moves of former President Obasanjo, but we insist that a true leader should stand by his word,” it said.
The IBB campaign team also faulted a prediction that 18 states are already backing Jonathan, while only 12 are supporting the former military president.
The statement reads further: “The reported endorsement of the undeclared intention of President Goodluck Jonathan by the South-West PDP and non-PDP members does not reflect the actual permutations on ground. The South-West is no doubt a politically sophisticated and enlightened zone comprising distinguished Nigerians who are well familiar and at home with the political dynamics of the country.
“It is, therefore, unlikely that such distinguished, enlightened, civilised and politically-conscious people would reportedly concede to the endorsement of an aspirant that has neither declared nor made public his intentions. We suspect that someone is trying to be smart by half.”
Faulting a report that claimed Jonathan was ahead of IBB with six states, the IBB campaign team said such figures were not only disputable but unrealistic, “in view of the fact that most incumbent state governors, have not declared their positions.”
It added: “It is therefore too early in the day for any political observer to draw conclusions on that basis particularly on a delegate election that is about to commence except that the public is being made to understand that the forthcoming elections, despite repeated assurances of credibility, would go the way of other previous elections. We believe very strongly that former President, General Ibrahim Babangida remains a major contender thus far amongst those who have boldly declared their intentions under the platform of our dear party, the PDP. We wish to reassure our overwhelming supporters and followers nationwide to be steadfast and committed in their usual spirit and love for our aspirant; General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.”

The story sounds concrete to me.

chyz:

The story sounds concrete to me.

And the story sounds "cement" to me - concrete ko, cricket ni. .

So Arisekola Aloa was MKO Abiola's friend? Great! with friends like him, who needs an enemy?
IBB was so afraid after being threatened that he cancelled an election, funny he didn't find the same fear when he killed his best friend Vatsa and hundred of other soldiers he sent to their early graves for trying to overthrow him.

But in this particular case, he cannot act against a similar threat, but rather tow the part of those still unknown persons he now claimed was threatening him?
Very convinient!
No matter how much spin and lies Babangida and his foot soldiers are running round spinning, no one can turn black into white.

So, a decorated General like Babangida had to bow down to a threat from a few renegade officers against the wishes of the Nigerian people.

This is more reason why he should never be allowed near the seat of power ever again.

What if some officers decide to threaten him again, against the wishes of Nigerians? Will he run to the NTA like a sissy and start telling us another cock and bull stories?

Or will he be so scared that he will have to wait another 17 years to appoint one of his cronies to come and tell us what really happened?

Aigbofa:

So, a decorated General like Babangida had to bow down to a threat from a few renegade officers against the wishes of the Nigerian people.

This is more reason why he should never be allowed near the seat of power ever again.

What if some officers decide to threaten him again, against the wishes of Nigerians? Will he run to the NTA like a sissy and start telling us another cock and bull stories?

Or will he be so scared that he will have to wait another 17 years to appoint one of his cronies to come and tell us what really happened?

Please ask them my brother!  IBB seems very selective on the sort of threat he responds to. If few people can threaten him to igo against and insult million people and their choice or wishes, what on earth is he doing looking for power where the same forces are very much around? They bunch of maggot liars.

When he claimed his best friend Vatsa threatened him, he went ahead and murdered him, without thinking twice or with any qualm and the same treatment for Gideon Orka and his group, ut on June 12 election he forgot his usual treatment for those that threatens him.very convinient!

hahh guyz have u forgotten Arisekola that was mobbed and disgraced by University of Ibadan students for supporting Abacha? This time around he will be stripped naked in the market square,old bastard