IBB praises mass defection of lawmakers to PDP

Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (Rtd) has praised the defection of senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), saying it is good for democracy.

Babangida said this in a recent interview he granted an online platform at his Hilltop Mansion in Minna, the Niger State capital and monitored by National Daily.

Recall that on Tuesday, 14 senators and 37 members of the House of Representatives left the ruling party.

He said: “I call it political dexterity because there are no better words to describe it. This is political dexterity and I don’t think anybody should have any problems with that. I have nothing against it. I think it is good for democracy. If it is good for democracy, then, it is good for Nigeria.

“If people left the APC to form R-APC [Reformed All Progressives Congress], they must have a solid reason or reasons for doing that. If 12 senators got to a point where they felt their continued stay in APC was not working and decided to leave, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Similarly, if the other two senators felt that their stay in APC was no longer worth their while and decided to join the ADC [African Democratic Congress], they have not committed any crime.

“I think the development is good for democracy. Democracy is about choices; it is about the freedom to choose. In the democratic system that we practise, you can always disagree if you feel what you see in the system does not agree with your expectation.”

IBB also denied ganging up against President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid alongside fellow retired generals former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma.

The ex-general noted that the idea was just the perception in the media probably because of the complaints he and the other generals have aired about President Buhari’s leadership style.

He queried: “Gang up? What gang-up? That is a media creation. It is media perception. It is easier for the media to add things up and conclude. I think what has happened is that after General Danjuma said what he said [about the alleged genocide in his home state of Taraba and the need for his people to defend themselves because the military had failed to protect them], after President Obasanjo released his letter, and perhaps, after my release too, the media simply added things up and came to the conclusion that there is a gang-up. There is no gang-up. It is media perception.”

Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (Rtd) has praised the defection of senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), saying it is good for democracy.

Babangida said this in a recent interview he granted an online platform at his Hilltop Mansion in Minna, the Niger State capital and monitored by National Daily.

Recall that on Tuesday, 14 senators and 37 members of the House of Representatives left the ruling party.

He said: “I call it political dexterity because there are no better words to describe it. This is political dexterity and I don’t think anybody should have any problems with that. I have nothing against it. I think it is good for democracy. If it is good for democracy, then, it is good for Nigeria.

“If people left the APC to form R-APC [Reformed All Progressives Congress], they must have a solid reason or reasons for doing that. If 12 senators got to a point where they felt their continued stay in APC was not working and decided to leave, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Similarly, if the other two senators felt that their stay in APC was no longer worth their while and decided to join the ADC [African Democratic Congress], they have not committed any crime.

“I think the development is good for democracy. Democracy is about choices; it is about the freedom to choose. In the democratic system that we practise, you can always disagree if you feel what you see in the system does not agree with your expectation.”

IBB also denied ganging up against President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid alongside fellow retired generals former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma.

The ex-general noted that the idea was just the perception in the media probably because of the complaints he and the other generals have aired about President Buhari’s leadership style.

He queried: “Gang up? What gang-up? That is a media creation. It is media perception. It is easier for the media to add things up and conclude. I think what has happened is that after General Danjuma said what he said [about the alleged genocide in his home state of Taraba and the need for his people to defend themselves because the military had failed to protect them], after President Obasanjo released his letter, and perhaps, after my release too, the media simply added things up and came to the conclusion that there is a gang-up. There is no gang-up. It is media perception.”