Victims of General Ibrahim Babangida's state-sponsored murders and other atrocities have risen up to join the growning effort to put a stop to the former military dictator's stubborn bid to run for president in 2011. The National Democratic Forum, a new group, has said it will commence the ‘Say No To IBB’ campaign in Benue State, according to the National Coordinator of the forum, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa. Jonathan is the brother Mamman Vatsa, a close friend of Babangida, who was killed in a yet-to-be-proved military coup. Addressing newsmen in Minna on Tuesday, Vatsa said that during the campaign, the forum would hold meetings with the families of some departed Nigerians such as the leader of the botched April 22, 1990 coup, Gideon Orka; Mr. Ben Ekele; late legal luminary Gani Fawehinmi; and Dele Giwa, among others. Orka led the coup that tried to sack Babangida’s military government.

Vatsa said that the forum would use all legitimate means to stop Babangida from becoming the president of Nigeria would spell ‘disaster for the nation.’

“IBB’s return to Aso Rock will be a disaster for Nigeria. I keep on asking God, ‘Are you going to punish us with IBB for the second time?’ also beg God to forgive this nation.

“IBB is the master of tenure elongation and we should all remember that the North has one term left. He will accomplish (former president, Olusegun) Obasanjo’s third term agenda.”

Vatsa stated the need for the country to emulate developed nations, adding that it is wrong for Babangida to assume the leadership of the country at over 70 years of age while there are virile youths with noble ideas to advance the course of the nation.

Explaining why Babangida should not be allowed to rule the country in 2011, Vatsa described the eight years of military rule under the former leader as the most unfortunate moment in the nation’s history.

According to him, “It was eight years of misrule and one wonders what unfinished projects he left behind that he is seeking the means to come back and accomplish. If he was a president, as he claimed and he ruled for eight years, he has served both first and second term and has no business being there again.”

He criticised the Peoples Democratic Party’s decision to zone its presidential ticket to the North. He said it was a PDP affair that would only allow bad candidates to assume positions of leadership.

According to him, “Zoning brings division in our democratic system. We should forget zoning and promote people of integrity, people with track record instead of promoting zoning that has not done us any good.”


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