29th October, 2010
Women Leader of IBB Campaign Organisation, Chief (Mrs.) Remi Adiukwu-Bakare, speaks on the ambition and chances of former military president,Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida for the presidency in 2011
What are the challenges in selling IBB’s candidature to Nigerians?
There are so many challenges, but we can surmount them, there are many people who like to identify with IBB, but because of what they benefit from the present government, they are not identifying with him in the open.
That does not mean that there are no people following IBB with boldness because they believe in him. They want to go along with him. Those challenges are there and they are the bane of our democracy. Today, right now, incumbency is the major thing. That is the major challenge. There is no candidate that is on the field today that will be able to outwit us.
Why are you supporting an IBB candidacy for the presidential election?
I see him as the only man that can do it in four years. He is the man that can serve only four years and leave. He is going to be 70 years old. People have accused him of so many things. He is coming back to show Nigerians that, those things he had been accused as a soldier, he can correct as a civilian president. Experience counts. He has been through the length and breadth of this country. He has a network outside this country. He has antecedents. He is the man who has been there before, who has taken us through democracy before, who had given us options to arrive at democracy, the man is IBB.
When he was president, there were a lot of business activities going on. We did not depend solely on the oil industry. It was during his time that we had so many institutions put in place that made our business more robust. If he made one or two mistakes, I am prepared to forgive him. I give him a pass mark. He assembled the best brains in the country to work with him. People accusing him of bad governance were all part of his government at that time. I sincerely believe in him and his programmes. There will be good business climate again, qualitative education, women empowerment. He has promised equity in gender representation in government, both elective and appointive. I sincerely believe that Babangida is the best man for the job.
What happens if he does not emerge as the consensus candidate under the platform of the PDP?
I don’t see the presence of other northern aspirants reducing his chance. Which southerner has come up in the PDP? None. They know that there is a written  agreement. It is written. If PDP says we would be rotating certain positions within ourselves, If you cannot abide by it, you go to another party. PDP has zoning in clause 7 (2) (c ) of its constitution . For fairness, equity and justice, the thing has been zoned to the North. He is the best, most experienced. Those who love IBB love him with a passion, the few that tend to dislike him do so with a passion also. When you go to the grassroots, they will tell you that they fared better under him. We are mobilizing the grassroots.
There is this insinuation that the ANPP deliberately amended its constitution to favour IBB so that he will have a soft landing if eventually he does not clinch the PDP ticket?
IBB is a PDP member and he will continue to be. Anybody can insinuate anything. What we are waiting for is the PDP primaries. We are hoping that the party will live up to expectation by ensuring a level playing ground.
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