Never Again to Babangida!

Sunday
Feb 05th

Chased Away

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Irate students in Abeokuta, Ogun State, did not allow the campaign rally of former military dictator Ibrahim Babangida to hold, thereby making the ambition of the dictator to gain a foothold in Western Nigeria still a pipe dream. The students chased away Babangida’s supporters.

The students, who are members of the National Association of Nigerian Students, mobilized from various higher institutions in the state and invaded the rally organized by supporters of the former dictator.

 

Arriving at the Ibara neighborhood where the rally was in progress, the students sent the few pro-Babangida campaigners packing. Several eyewitnesses disclosed that the demonstrating students sang anti-Babangida and student solidarity songs before tearing down Babangida's posters and dismantling canopies erected by the campaigners.

One source told Saharareporters that the Babangida supporters put up an initial resistance, then surrendered. “They were completely outnumbered by the students,” the source said.

Babangida, who ranks as one of the hated politicians in Nigeria, recently earned the widespread condemnation when he stated that Nigerian youth were not capable of running the country.

During his 8-year rule as a military dictator, Babangida closed down national universities for several months at a time, rusticated students, fired academics and routinely jailed popular professors as well as student activists opposed to his style of governance.

One of the protesting students told Saharareporters that the attack on Babangida’s rally “is part of our continuing protest over the fact that he annulled the election of an indigene of Ogun state, Bashorun M.K.O Abiola.” Abiola, a multi-millionaire telecommunications mogul, won the presidential post in an election on June 12, 1993 that was adjudged the most credible election in Nigeria’s history. But Babangida who claimed that he had to cancel the election in the interest of Nigeria’s unity scuttled Abiola’s presidency.
 
The streets of Abeokuta are not the only places where Babangida's ambition to run for office is facing mass resistance. Militants in the Niger Delta are also organizing to thwart his candidature.

A press statement issued by Cynthia Whyte earlier today has declared Babangida's chief campaigner, Raymond Dokpesi, a persona non grata in the oil-rich delta. The group threatened to attack Dokpesi's business interests in the Niger Delta in the coming days.

Babangida's attempts to use popular social network sites like Facebook have met with colossal failure as well. Very few Nigerians "like" his campaign’s Facebook page. A Facebook user, Rasheed Hassan Olalere, complained on his status earlier today: "IBB, continue deleting message(s). The way you deceived Nigerians in 1985 you can't deceive Nigerians again, IBB. You are the worst leader in Nigerian history. Continue [to] block and delete Nigerians’ comments."

Mr. Olalere was furious about the penchant of Babangida's campaign staff for deleting critical messages left on his Facebook pages by angry Nigerians. Last month his campaign staff also blocked his Youtube page from receiving comments after Nigerians left an avalanche of negative posts.

Saharareporters had recently revealed how the former dictator continues to use different schemes to con Nigerians into believing that he possesses the integrity to run for office. Even so, Babangida has seen his candidacy rejected at every turn all over Nigeria.

“Babangida’s political posture does not inspire confidence even in those who want to support him,” said a former ally of the former dictator who said he is considering pitching his tent with a different candidate. He added, “Babangida seems to me to be a general in retreat.”

Candidate Babangida has been confined to his hilltop mansion, unable to physically attend campaigns after he was humiliated at Ogbe stadium in Benin, Edo state capital.

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we shouldnt give up the fight my fellow nigerian youths. i heard the former dictator said we will soon give and soccumb to his evil ambition to override nigerians once again.
BABS , September 12, 2010
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soooo sooooo baddddd
infact nigerians all these are forms of nonscenes if u can do such spending such money on net to critizes i think these is not the best way to suceeeed electoral reform i wish u are much more aiding mr ibb campaign and u may definately win these election for ibb how i wish these can be posted through wall in nigeria frontliners politically u have made such a state for ibb and if the faults are easily known for now i believe these sites of yours have won these great election for the ibb all these would never help but mobilizes is power to campaign fully???
hamzat mustapha tokunbo , September 13, 2010

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