General Ibrahim Babangida
Written by Dipo Laleye, MinnaOVERTURES by the Action Congress (AC) to present the former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, as its presidential standard bearer for the 2011 general elections hit the rock last week when the Minna general rejected the offer.
A source in the uphill residence of the former leader told Saturday Tribune on Friday that a five-man team led by the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, visited General Babangida to offer him the presidential ticket of their party.
According to the source, the AC emissaries told the retired general that the party was prepared to concede the ticket of the party to him for next year’s presidential election, with Tinubu as his running mate.
But the former military leader, who recently said that he would not disclose his ambition until a nationwide consultation with his supporters and other stakeholders was concluded, declined the offer.
General Babangida, it was learnt further, told his guests that as a loyal Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, he was not prepared to leave the party, but preferred to actualise his political ambition in the party.
While rejecting the offer, the source, who was at the meeting, said, “General Babangida, in his usual characteristic manner, listened attentively to the offer by the AC, but told them that he would rather remain a floor member of the PDP than to be the presidential candidate of the party.”
The source added that Babangida’s position was based on the recent endorsement of his presidential ambition by some key figures of the PDP, which included the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as the international support being extended to his presidential ambition.
In another development, a United Kingdom-based pro-democracy group, The Nigeria Project, has concluded plans to immortalise the late first lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Maryam Babangida, at an international lecture to hold in London at the end of the month.
Source: http://www.tribune.com.ng/
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