Protest: I didn’t call for military intervention, says Former Military Head of State, IBB

Former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) has publicly disassociated himself from a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that purportedly supports military intervention in Nigeria.

In a statement released by his media office and signed by Mahmoud Abdullahi, Babangida clarified that the post is fake and should be ignored.

The controversial post originated from a parody account using the handle @General_Ibbro. The account falsely claimed that during the 2023 presidential elections, Babangida had endorsed a particular candidate.

The statement from Babangida’s media office emphasized that the former president neither owns nor approves of the account or its content.

“Our attention has been drawn to a post on a parody account on X, formerly known as Twitter, which carries the handle, @General_Ibbro, in which former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, was supposed to have endorsed the virtues of military rule over democratic governance,” the statement read.

The account in question uses Babangida’s image and the Nigerian coat of arms to appear authentic. It has previously spread false information, including a claim that Babangida endorsed a presidential candidate during the last elections, causing public confusion and embarrassment.

Recently, the account posted another false statement, claiming Babangida said, “Nigeria had its best years under military rule, democracy has made things worse.” Babangida’s media office unequivocally denied this, reaffirming his belief in democracy.

“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,” the statement continued. It stressed that Babangida views democracy as the solution to Nigeria’s challenges, not military intervention.

Despite these challenges, Babangida remains confident in Nigeria’s democratic future. He commended the Nigerian military for supporting democratic governance since 1999, marking the longest period of civilian rule since independence.

The parody account, originally meant to imitate the sentiments of real accounts, has instead spread misinformation. The statement urged the public to disregard posts from this account and called on media practitioners and social media users to verify information before sharing it.

In conclusion, Babangida’s media office reiterated the former president’s support for democracy and his condemnation of any false statements suggesting otherwise.