[size=13pt]The Real Reason Why IBB hit OBJ[/size]

Written by Jacob Segun Olatunji, Abuja

MORE facts have emerged on why former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida hit at former President Olusegun Obasanjo publicly, during a press conference last week to mark his 70th birthday, where he said that his (Obasanjo’s) eight-year civilian rule lacked focus.

A reliable source close to the two former leaders told the Nigerian Tribune, on Monday, that General Babangida felt betrayed, cheated, used and dumped by Chief Obasanjo by blocking his (Babangida’s) chances twice in 2007 and 2011 from becoming the nation’s civilian president, despite the fact that they were both of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) family.

It was revealed that Babangida had wanted to contest in 2003 but had to step down for Obasanjo, saying that he would never contest any election against his Commander-In-Chief, as a sign of respect and discipline in the military family. Again, in 2007, he tried his luck but Obasanjo openly anointed the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua and installed him as the president and a similar scene was played out in 2011, when Obasanjo insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan should be the president rather than supporting Babangida, who had been in the queue.

General Babangida had earlier in the year, in the heat of the search for a consensus presidential candidate among aspirants from the North by the Mallam Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Leaders Political Forum, told the whole world that no matter what , he would never comment on the personality of former President Obasanjo either negatively or positively in public, being his former boss in the military, when his view was sought on the position of the former president, who was insisting that the position was not zoned to the North at that time.

According to Baban-gida, “former president, Chief Obasanjo, was my Commander-in-Chief, and he remains so for life. In the military tradition, a junior officer cannot comment on his superior officer, it is the other way round, only a senior officer can pass comment on his subordinate, so I respect that tradition. I cannot say because of politics I will come out and say something negative about my C-in-C, tomorrow I may be summoned by the military authorities to explain myself, so don’t put me into trouble.”

However, the Nigerian Tribune learnt that the former military president decided to break his silence last week and hit at his former boss, having turned 70 and knowing full well that age was no longer on his side to contest the presidency again in 2015.

One of the Babangida’s associates told the Nigerian Tribune that the former military president was taken aback as to why OBJ treated him like that, despite all the assistance he rendered to him.

In his case, Obasanjo was said to have declined to support Babangida’s presidency based on his findings of the eight-year military rule of IBB, with the way and manner the nation’s resources were managed during the period.

”OBJ is on the side of the masses and the nation in general, that was why he refused to support IBB for presidency and he is not regretting it. He will do so if another opportunity comes. IBB is only wasting his time by castigating Baba for selfish reasons,” one of the OBJ’s associates told the Nigerian Tribune while reacting to the face-off between the former leaders.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/27047-why-ibb-hit-obj

Abeg make we hear word. OBJ is on the side of the masses indeed. That's why during his tenure he blew billions upon billion on power that did not turn out succesful. They're both evil and should step down for the younger generation.

We will never know