Why I Won't Run in 2003, By IBB
By Steve Nwosu

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The former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), has said categorically he would not contest the 2003 presidential election, because it would be impudent for him to run against President Olusegun Obasanjo, who he described as his boss.

Speaking with THISDAY at the lobby of the NICON Hilton Hotel in Abuja at the weekend, Babangida hinged his decision not to run on the fact that he campaigned for Obasanjo's release when he was jailed by the Gen. Sani Abacha administration for a coup plot.

Besides, Babangida said he was one of those usually accused by the North of bringing about the Obasanjo presidency and that he was always criticised for any action taken by Obasanjo, which was perceived as anti-North.

He said if he had been so close to Obasanjo, he could therefore, not run against him and Vice President Abubakar Atiku.

Babangida, however, said after eight years of South-west and North-east presidency, "Q.E.D, it will be natural for the presidency to go to either the North-west or North-central".

He said if the North-east got the presidency, the North-west or North-central would have been out of power for 12 years".

He said naturally, Atiku, as Obasanjo's vice, should be expected to aspire to succeed his boss as president, just as he (Babangida) aspired to be head of state when he was the Chief of Army Staff. He said the challenge Atiku would face in 2007 was how to placate the North-west and the North-central geo-political zones.

Babangida said he had met with Atiku and clarified this and other issues, particularly the report credited to him in the media that he, (Babangida) would "support Obasanjo but not Atiku".

On how he could convince Nigerians that he was not interested in the 2003 presidency when his associates were busy launching the National Solidarity Association (NSA) which is believed to have the Babangida stamp, the former military strongman expressed discomfort over the activities of some of the said associates.

He said while he sympathised with some of them who had been sidelined by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Obasanjo, many of his associates were working for their own interests and not necessarily for the actualisation of a Babangida presidency.

Speculations about Babangida's ambition to contest the presidency in 2003 heightened following the formation of NSA which said it would seek registration as a political party to contest the 2003 general elections.

Although Babangida is yet to declare for the new association, NSA is being promoted by persons who either served at some point in the eight-year reign of the Minna-born General, or who are believed to have benefitted from patronages disbursed by him during his years of service.

Some of the persons behind NSA were also signatories to paid advertorials published in some national newspapers, shortly before the birth of the association, eulogising Baban-gida and seeking to position and relaunch the former head of state to national limelight.

Babangida was believed to be sponsoring NSA to provide a platform for the actualisation of his presidential ambition, since it was becoming obvious that power-brokers in PDP, led by Atiku, were not going to give him a foothold in the ruling party in which he is still a card-carrying member.

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