FORMER military dictator General Ibrahim Babangida has declared that himself and all the other retired army rulers will support the All Progressives Congresss (APC) presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari in next months polls. General Babangida who made the pronouncement in Minna when General Buhari took his campaign to the city yesterday, said the APC’s candidate’s doggedness and willingness to make sacrifices to salvage Nigeria would not be lost. in August 1985, General Babangida, who was then the chief of army staff, overthrew General Buhari in a palace coup. Both men had been part of successive military regimes and General Babangida said that he is proud of the persistence and perseverance of General Buhari in seeking to offer himself for service at the highest level in the country’s young democracy. He added that the he and General Buhari fought to keep Nigeria indivisible, pointing out that such traits were attributes of patriots. “You have beaten some of us in proving General Douglas Mc’Arthur’s theory that old soldiers never die but fade away gradually and you have refused to fade away. I wish to congratulate members of the party for the honour of nominating my colleague, General Muhammadu Buhari, as your presidential candidate in 2015 elections. You media men have created this impression that we are fighting each other but look at us here today - he knows what I mean and I know what he means. We both fought to keep Nigeria one when we were young majors then, General Babangida said. In his speech, General Buhari said that the APC would commence a salvation crusade in Niger State, adding that the calibre of people in APC in the state was a testimony. He thanked General Babangida for the support and camaraderie he had enjoyed over the years and assured him that Nigeria was on the verge of change. Just a fortnight ago, President Goodluck Jonathan, visited General Babangida and was reportedly endorsed by the former military leader. After their meeting, during which President Goodluck referred to General Babangida as his father, the two men took pictures together. Yesterday, however, General Buhari stormed Minna and secured a major coup by getting Ahmed Musa Ibeto, the Niger State deputy governor to dump the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC. Known as Maradona
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:45:19 +0000