Democracy Has Come To Stay - Former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida Says As He Disowns Post Endorsing Military Rule

Ibrahim Babangida

Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida has distanced himself from a viral post claiming he endorsed military rule over democratic governance.

In a statement from his media office signed by Mahmud Abdullahi in Minna, General Babangida said the account on X that shared the post is a parody account, not his official account.

Babangida then reiterated his commitment to democratic rule rather than military rule.

The statement reads partly: "This dubious account carries our principal’s picture and name and the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for added effect but it does not belong to him nor does the former President sanction any post appearing there."

It added: "For the avoidance of doubt, General Babangida (rtd) believes that Nigeria’s democracy is resilient and has come to stay and that we must do everything we can to safeguard the process.

"As a nation, we are currently facing a number of challenges but the former president has always expressed the view that we will eventually overcome these challenges and come out a stronger, more progressive nation. The solution to our problems as he had said previously, is ‘more’ democracy, not less.

"General Babangida truly believes that the era of military intervention in Nigeria’s politics is long gone and he has said how proud he is that the Nigerian military has stood firmly behind multiple democratic governments in this country since 1999, thus giving us the longest run of civilian administration since independence."