Posted by From Kenny Ashaka, Kaduna on
Former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the 2003 election, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has asked former military president General Ibrahim Babangida to forget the 2007 presidential race.
Former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the 2003 election, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has asked former military president General Ibrahim Babangida to forget the 2007 presidential race.
Buhari spoke at the weeked in an interview with the BBC Hausa service monitored in Kaduna, saying that forgiving Babangida should not be misconstrued to mean that he would support the presidential ambition of the Minna-born General in 2007.
According to Buhari, he decided way back in 2003 in Sokoto, to forgive Babangida when both of them drove in one car to visit eminent citizens of the state along with the Governor, Alhaji Atahiru Bafarawa.
"Politically, since the both of us attended the wedding ceremony of Bafarawa's daughter at Sokoto in 2003, I said I've forgiven him. After the wedding ceremony we (myself, Babangida and Bafarawa) entered the same car, to pay homage to the Sultan and Shagari.
"I said since that time, politically speaking, forgiven him. There is no misunderstanding between me and Babangida. And for whatever reason, since he toppled me and incarcerated me for four years, I said I've forgiven him in my position as a Muslem and understanding," Buhari said.
Asked why he would not support Babangida, Buhari said it is because the former military president was in the opposition party.
For the same reason, according to Buhari, he would not support Vice President Atiku Abubakar, adding: " there is a new party called ACD which was registered recently and the press and some people alleged that the party belongs to him.
"But he is still in the PDP. Therefore, up till now we are together: myself, himself and Babangida. But they are in the PDP, I am in the ANPP. 'However, I will endorse neither Babangida nor Atiku for the 2007 presidential race since both of them belong to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I am in the ANPP and they are in the PDP. If they like, they should decamp to the ANPP. '
According to Buhari, there are now 37 registered political parties in the country hence Nigerians have the option to elect whoever they want to lead them should all the parties present presidential candidates at the polls."